For the first time in years, the aura around City Oilers looks vulnerable. The ten-time National Basketball League champions may have levelled their semifinal series 1-1 with an 80-78 win over Sommet on Friday night, but the manner of the victory spoke volumes: this is no longer a stroll for the giants.
Sommet, only recent entrants into Uganda’s basketball elite, have carried themselves with the confidence of seasoned contenders. Game Two at Lugogo proved it again. They dictated tempo, pounded the boards through Nyembo Fataki’s monster 18 rebounds, and led for three quarters before City Oilers had to summon every ounce of championship grit.
The Oilers leaned heavily on individual brilliance to avoid falling 2-0 behind. Chad Bowie’s 25-point haul was a reminder of why he remains the team’s heartbeat, while Titus Lual Odeke’s double-double injected muscle inside. Kurt Curry Wegscheider provided timely buckets, and in the end, it was Moses Maker’s decisive layup that preserved the dynasty.
Yet, despite the win, questions linger. Sommet are not overawed — Kasereka Tembo’s 23 points and the fearless contributions from John Focus Teko and Markey Opira kept them in the hunt until the final buzzer. Twice in the dying seconds, they had shots to break Oilers’ stranglehold on the league. Twice, the ball rattled out.
That narrow escape leaves Oilers both relieved and warned. Their dominance over the last decade has rarely faced such resistance this early in a series. Sommet’s belief only grows, while Oilers must now prove that experience can still outlast youthful audacity.
With Game Three looming on Sunday, the question is no longer whether Sommet belong — it is whether City Oilers’ empire can withstand this new wave.
