- 2026 National Basketball League | Result
- Namuwongo Blazers 65-74 City Oilers
City Oilers secure a dominant season-opening 74-65 victory against the Namuwongo Blazers in an intense National Basketball League encounter at the Lugogo Indoor Arena on Friday.
After falling short of the 2025 NBL title, the record champions responded emphatically.
Having bolstered their squad during the off-season, the results of their recruitment were immediately evident on day one of the new campaign.
The game tipped off with Joel Kayira hitting a jump shot, making an immediate impact on his debut for the Oilers.
Orchestrated by the backcourt duo of Joel Lukoji and Fayed Baale, the Oilers’ superior ball movement left the Blazers struggling to keep pace. The first quarter ended with the Oilers holding a slim 10–08 lead.
The intensity picked up in the second period as Michael Makiadi converted back-to-back three-pointers, narrowing the deficit to just two points (22–24) with five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
However, despite a driving layup from Blair Wadaya that capped an electric quarter, the Blazers still trailed 35–32 heading into the locker room.
The Oilers asserted their authority after the long break. Landry Ndikumana and Baale found their rhythm from beyond the arc, stretching the lead to 10 points within the first two minutes of the third quarter.
Isaac Athuai then closed the period with a smooth layup, giving the Oilers a commanding 57–41 cushion.
The onslaught continued into the final frame as the Oilers reeled off six unanswered points. With the lead ballooning to 18, the Blazers were forced into a desperate timeout.
Emerging from the timeout, Peter Obleng managed to drop a corner three, but Titus Lual responded in kind to fire up the game.
Henry Ssebagala dropped back-to-back three-point shots, narrowing the deficit to 10 points (61-71) with just over a minute to play. Despite the late charge, the Blazers lost by nine points.
Fayed Baale (20 points), Landry Ndikumana (17 points) and Joel Lukoji (12 points) led the scoring chart for the Oilers.
On the other hand, Peter Obleng (11 points) and Moses Mugisha (10 points) led the Blazers’ scoring chart in double digits.
