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English City Oilers Make History by Qualifying for Basketball Africa League
City Oilers Make History by Qualifying for 2023 Basketball Africa League
Monday – City Oilers became the first team from Uganda to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The eight time Federation of Uganda Basketball League champions took the last ticket after beating Urunani BBC 71-62 in Sunday’s third-place playoff game in the Road to BAL Elite 16 Division East Group F at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.
The Burundian club defeated the City Oilers in the preliminary qualifiers in October in Tanzania but the Ugandan side revenged at the best time.
The Oilers finished the first quarter with a one-point lead (27-26). Point guard Germain Roebuck’s prolific form played a key role key in the Ugandan side’s win. His double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds) helped to carry the oilers to their first BAL tournament.
Ngor Barnaba and shooting guard Fayed Baale also contributed 1 point each.
City Oilers head coach Mandy Juruni expresses his excitement about the prospect of playing in a top league in Africa.
“I am happy and proud of my players. The work that we have put in over the last three years has finally paid off,”
“The win means a lot for our country. Ugandan basketball has been on the rise at the national team level. Now we are going to play in a top league in Africa,” he added.
The list of the 12 clubs qualified for the BAL 2023:
Egypt- Al Ahly
Senegal- As Douanes
Angola- Petro de Luanda
Tunisia- US Monastir
Rwanda- REG
Nigeria- Kwara Falcons
Guinea- SLAC
Coted’voire- ABC
Mali- Stade Malien
Mozambique- Ferroviário da Beira
South Africa- Cape Town Tigers
Uganda- City Oilers
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