By Brian Bariyo Tumuramye
On Friday night, City Oilers booked their place at the Elite 16 with a dominant second-half performance against hosts JKT enroute the 29-point win.
JKT made the match-up at the National Indoor Stadium a contest but only in the first half. The hosts led 18-9 in the opening quarter much to the excitement of the home fans who celebrated each basket but Oilers soaked in the pressure well.
Going into the Qualifying Tournament for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2020, all City Oilers needed was a top-two finish in Group D to make the Elite 16 grade.
The Oilers, despite having foul trouble, exploded for 33 points in the second quarter to take control of the game and the ascendance continued through the third quarter and never looked back.
Robinson Opong poured in 29 points to go with six rebounds to pace Oilers and Landry Ndikumana came in handy as he recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jordin Mayes had 12 points.
Baraka Athuman scored team-high 17 points and picked 7 rebounds for JKT and Enerico Majura contributed 14 points to go with 4 rebounds, oilers take Saturday off and will battle Patriots for top place on Sunday.
