While City Oilers try to rub shoulders with the continent’s best teams at the ongoing FIBA Champions Cup in Cairo, Egypt, their opponents in the National League finals Power have to find a way of staying in shape ahead of the finals series in January.
The team has been training and is currently playing a select side in friendly games.
“The team has to stay together and focused ahead of the finals,” Arnold Lando, Power’s head coach told Kawowo Sports this week.
The five time champions have landed a friendly game with UCU Canons at the university campus on Saturday.
“They are a good team and will give us the challenge we need,” Lando revealed ahead of the game.
UCU are preparing for the East African University Games to take place starting December 16th in Nairobi, Kenya.
The two sides shared the regular season wins with Nick Natuhereza’s side winning the first round while Power took the second game.
Power defeated KIU 75-72 in the decisive game of their semifinal series to book a date with the 4-peat chasing Oilers and will need such friendlies and more if they are to defy their under dog status to shock the defending champions.
Joseph Ikong, strong contender for the regular season MVP gong, has been the go-to man for Power thus far and will need to be in top form to dethrone Mandy Juruni’s charges.
After the game five win over KIU, Ikong revealed to Kawowo Sports that there wasn’t going to be a repeat of the 2014 finals series when Oilers eased past the 2011 champions with a clean sweep in the series.
Power defeated Oilers in the second round of the regular season and will hope to repeat their heroics in the finals.