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While dethroning the eight-time champions might be easier said than done, there have been signs to make fans believe this could be the year.
If there are any teams that can stop the City Oilers dominance in the National Basketball League, KIU Titans and the Namuwongo Blazers lead that race, at least going by their performances this season.
While dethroning the eight-time champions might be easier said than done, there have been signs to make fans believe this could be the year.
The first sign was the Blazers’ ability to stay competitive despite losing most of the players from last season’s trip to the finals.
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21:26 - 05.07.2023
BASKETBALL Denis Balungu torches Rezlife in comfortable KIU Titans win
The Congolese scored a game-high 30 points on a 10-for-15 shooting spree from the field.
Stephen Nyeko’s charges recruited and added experience to the team in a bid to return to the finals and have another shot at the championship.
Michael Makiadi, Geoffrey Soro and Peter Cheng came into the team and looked like they had played together for a while.
Now with a 12-4 record, last year’s losing finalists are third on the 12-team log, just behind their Friday night opponents, the Titans.
The two sides will clash with similar ambitions of climbing up the table. For the Blazers, avenging that first-round loss will be key on the agenda, while the Titans hope to complete a double in what is slowly becoming a fierce rivalry.
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10:36 - 06.07.2023
BASKETBALL For the first time, we did what we do at practice, says KIU Titans coach
Despite a sluggish start to the game that saw the Titans trail 23-19 after the first quarter, the subsequent three frames brought the best out of the team in green to hand them a 19-point victory.
KIU played a big part in the Blazers’ massive changes, poaching Saidi Amisi, Peter Obleng and Collins Kasujja from the 2022 runners-up.
Meanwhile, the Titans warmed up for Friday’s clash with a comprehensive 84-65 win over Rezlife Wednesday night and will be hoping to build on that.
Guard Denis Balungu put up a Player of the Game performance, pouring in 30 points via a 10-for-15 shooting tempo.
The Congolese sank eight three from 11 attempts as the Titans improved to a 13-2 record to cement second place.
With the Oilers still unbeaten and looking good enough to finish the regular season as Seed One, finishing second could prove vital in the road to the finals.
The teams that finish number one and two can only meet in the finals.
National Basketball League
Friday fixture (YMCA)
JT Lady Jaguars vs. Magic Stormers -7pm
Namuwongo Blazers vs. KIU Titans -9pm
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