Oilers outlast Sommet in leggy affair

National Basketball League

Women: UCU 57 Queens 40
Men: Oilers 66 Sommet 60

A win is a win, as one popular sports saying goes, but for the City Oilers, there will be as much satisfaction as there will be cause for concern after their 66-60 victory over Sommet on Friday in the National Basketball League (NBL).

Titus Lual and Landry Ndikumana combined for 28 points, while Fayed Bbaale and Benjamin Kawuma added 22 as the Oilers outlasted Sommet to make it four wins in four games. However, the performance was marked by spells of inconsistency.

The Oilers remained largely in control of the game, even when Sommet cut their lead to one point with 4:29 to play in the fourth quarter following back-to-back three-pointers from the popular Ahmed Kassa.

Sommet's Peter Cheng led all scorers with a game-high 15 points, while Joseph Chuma added 11.

Sommet had rallied from a 13-point deficit with nine minutes remaining in the final quarter to give themselves a chance of victory against the record champions, but their lack of experience ultimately proved difficult to overcome.

"It was their inexperience that cost them," Oilers assistant coach Justus Mugisha said after the game.

Put differently, it was the Oilers' vast experience in navigating close games that came into play once again. That, as much as the victory itself, will be the positive for Oilers coach Andrew Tendo.

"I know the performance was not up to a high standard," Tendo admitted after the game.

So why was that?

One reason, according to Mugisha, was the lack of rhythm.

"This is our first game in a month," he said.

For the Oilers, the spotlight is always on, and the expectation is always to perform, not simply win.

Sommet will take pride in their resilience, while the Oilers will take satisfaction from the win. However, both sides leave with reasons to reflect and areas to improve.