National Basketball League powerhouses, UCU Canons and City Oliers picked quarterfinal game one wins over JKL Dolphins and the UPDF Tomahawks, respectively.
While UCU walked through a routine 72-52 victory, the Oilers were made to sweat for theirs (66-58), as the Tomahawks put up a spirited fight under the floodlights on Friday at Lugogo.
For the Oilers, it all looked easy by halftime as they led 31-14, but, the army side returned in the third quarter animated, narrowing the gap to within five points.
Tonny Drilleba put up a strong 16 points for the Oilers, while James Okello added a double double of 13 points and 14 rebounds.
On the other hand, UCU’s victory was induced by relatively impressive displays by Fayed Baale, Titus Lual and Jerry Kayanga who managed 13, 10 and 10 points respectively.
Game two matches will take center stage on Sunday at Lugogo, as both UCU and Oilers seek to make early progress to the semi-finals.
