National Basketball League | Wednesday
- City Oilers 68–62 Rezlife Saints
After two painful losses to the Nam Blazers and JT Jaguars, the City Oilers finally found relief on Wednesday night with a hard-fought 68-62 victory over the Rezlife Saints at the Lugogo Indoor Arena.
It was a night of grit and redemption for the reigning NBL champions, who entered the matchup under pressure following a rough start to their 2025 campaign.
The absence of key players had left the Oilers exposed in their opening games, but against the Saints, they managed to patch the cracks with Fayed Baale’s return at least for one night.
From tip-off, it was clear this wouldn’t be a walk in the park. The Oilers came out strong, winning the first quarter 17-11. But the Saints, coached by Moses Okwera, hit back in the second with a 23-10 run, fueled by defensive intensity and quick transitions.
At halftime, Rezlife held a 34-27 lead and seemed poised to hand the Oilers their third straight defeat.
Then came the third quarter and with it, the Oilers’ resurgence led by Coach Andrew Tendo, City Oilers exploded for 28 points in the frame, completely flipping the script.
Their defense tightened, forcing turnovers and limiting Rezlife’s scoring options to just 19 points in the quarter.
With momentum on their side, the Oilers clamped down in the final minutes, holding Rezlife to a mere 9 points in the fourth.
Despite late attempts from the Saints to rally, including efforts from the likes of Otieno Michael and Francis Kasinde, it was too little, too late.
City Oilers’ Joseph Chuma managed to raise a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds with Baale managing 17.
For the Saints, Otieno came up with 24 points, 14 more than star player Acinbaai Takpinyi Apiji on 10.
For Rezlife, the loss marks their second defeat of the season, having previously fallen to the UCU Canons.
In the first game, played at the Arena saw JKL Dolphins triumphed 102-63 over the UPDF Lady Tomahawks
At Abja Park in Naalya, Namuwongo Blazers rode on their momentum, securing a 74-41 score over Kampala Rockets after Angels were awarded a walkover in their fixture against UCU Lady Canons.
