Monday, April 22
•City Oilers (Uganda) Vs Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya) – 6pm
•Al Ahly (Egypt) Vs Bangui (Central African Republic) – 9pm
Standings
- Al Ahly (Egypt) 2-0
- Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya) 1-1
- Bangui (Central Africa Rep) 1-1
- City Oilers (Uganda) 0-2
City Oilers are aiming for redemption as they face off against Al Ahly Benghazi in their third match at the ongoing Basketball Africa League in Cairo, Egypt.
Having suffered defeats in their opening two games in the Nile Conference against hosts and defending champions Al Ahly (99-76) and Bangui SC (101-88) respectively, the Oilers are seeking to bounce back.
Sunday marked the first of three rest days in the Nile Conference, with teams resuming action on Monday in pursuit of two automatic tickets to the BAL playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, City Oilers coach Karim Nesba acknowledged the need for improvement, particularly in defense, emphasizing the team’s resilience and determination.
“We have deserved our results,” Nesba admitted after Saturday’s loss to Central African Republic side Bangui.
“We can do much better defensively, and a lot of guys are not on the same page. We have to find inner strength and fight back.
“We do have a lot of talent in our team, they are fighters. We are not going to give up, we owe Ugandans a performance better than this.”
Despite individual standout performances from players like Patrick Ronald Lembert, Mohammed Bashir, Dane Miller, Maluach Khaman, and Randy Culpepper, the Oilers have struggled to gel as a cohesive unit.
The rest of the crop including the ever reliable Robinson Opong, Tonny Drilleba, James Okello and Titus Lual have found points hard to come by.
To keep their qualification hopes alive, the Oilers must secure a victory against Al Ahly Benghazi before facing them again in the second round on April 27, along with matches against Al Ahly (April 24) and Bangui (April 26).
It’s worth noting that the third-placed team still has a chance to qualify, as two of the third-placed teams from the Nile, Sahara, and Kalahari conferences advance to the playoffs.
https://sportsnation.co.ug/2024/04/22/bal-city-oilers-hope-to-make-amends/
