Namuwongo Blazers’ Road to BAL 2026 campaign has come down to one final battle. After falling 83–70 to Tanzania’s Dar City, the Ugandan finalists must now beat Comoros’ Djabal to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The Blazers started with fire and purpose, storming to a 10–2 lead that stunned the home crowd at the International School of Tanganyika Gymnasium.
Their ball movement was crisp, their defense suffocating, and midway through the first quarter, they were cruising 25–9. But Dar City refused to crumble.
Veteran guard Solo Diabate and forward Deng Angok Yak Deng led a 13-point response, cutting the deficit to 32–22 as the first quarter ended. From there, the hosts seized control.
Diabate’s composure and vision drove a 14–0 run early in the second quarter, with Deng and Makhi Ahkim Mitchell dominating in the paint.
The Blazers’ rhythm wavered, and when Deng threw down a ferocious dunk to give Dar City their first lead, the game’s tone shifted for good.
John Wesley Murry briefly reignited hope with a quick burst of points, but Mitchell’s dunk closed the half 43–42 in Dar City’s favor.
The second half turned into a grind. Murry’s three-pointer restored a brief lead at 51–49, but it was the Blazers’ last. Zouzoua and Mitchell combined to keep Dar City ahead 57–55 entering the fourth.
Jaycson Ray Lavoughn Bereal Jr, brilliant all night with 28 points, kept Namuwongo in the fight, trimming the gap to one at 65–64.
But Diabate’s flair and Zouzoua’s clutch three-pointer sealed the Ugandans’ fate.
Mitchell finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks, while Deng’s all-round impact earned him a game-high efficiency of 29.
The Blazers can take solace in having neutralized Dar City’s top scorer from the opening round, Raphiael Putney, holding him to just eight points. But their early brilliance faded too soon.
Now, it’s all or nothing. Only victory against Djabal will keep their BAL dream alive.
