BAL: City Oilers Left Reeling After Third Defeat

Monday, April 22
•City Oilers (Uganda) 68-79 Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya)
•Al Ahly (Egypt) 85-79 Bangui (Central African Republic)

City Oilers succumbed to their third consecutive defeat at the 2024 Basketball Africa League Nile Conference in Cairo, Egypt.

Their latest loss came at the hands of Al Ahly Benghazi (Egypt), who secured a 68-79 victory on Monday.

This defeat places City Oilers at the bottom of the table as they conclude the first round of games with three losses, having previously fallen to Al Ahly (Egypt) and Bangui SC (Central Africa Republic).

With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, City Oilers must now win at least two out of three second-round matches against the same opponents to secure a chance of advancing to the playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda.

In Monday’s match, City Oilers struggled from the outset, trailing 11-25 in the first quarter, with the deficit expanding to 26 points by halftime. Despite a second-half resurgence, including an 18-4 run, they couldn’t overcome the early setback.

Poor defence, poor Shooting and Turnovers plagued City Oilers throughout the game, with Karim Nesba’s team missing 23 of their 26 three-point attempts and committing 19 turnovers.

Patrick Ronald Rembert led City Oilers with 17 points, supported by Khaman Maluach’s impressive double-double performance of 16 points and 19 rebounds. Robinson Opong and Muhammad Bashir also contributed 11 points each, with Fayed Bbaale making his season debut.

For Al Ahly Benghazi, Lual Acui (25), Kevin Marquis (22) and Souleyman Mouloukou (15) led the scoring, with Mouloukou almost achieving a triple-double with 9 rebounds and 11 assists.

Looking ahead, City Oilers aim to redeem themselves in upcoming rematches against Al Ahly, Bangui, and Al Ahly Benghazi on April 24, 26, and 27, respectively.

The top two teams from each group, along with the third-placed team across all three conferences (Nile, Sahara, and Kalahari), will advance to the playoffs.