East Division Saturday City Oilers 72-61 Dynamo Ugandan basketball powerhouse City Oilers have secured a spot in the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL). The Oilers booked the ticket after a decisive 72-61 victory against Burundi’s Dynamo in a thrilling BAL Elite 16 semifinal clash on Saturday, held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Robison Opong and Titus Odeke made crucial points to carry the Kampala-based side through to the 2024 BAL, with the former dropping 5 of 9 on threes to emerge top scorer with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. ALSO READ: Road to BAL: City Oilers reveal roster for elite round, plot dominancy In a rather slow start, it took both sides more than two minutes to break the deadlock with Dynamo losing five of their six chances on the free-throw line and being punished by Opong and Parrish Petty with back-to-back treys and a layup from the latter as Oilers led 8-1 forcing Dynamo into a timeout. The Burundi champions couldn't find their rhythm and, with 2.30 to play, they found themselves trailing 16-3. Israel Otobo making the only other basket for the Olivier Ndayiragije-coached side in a 19-5 run in the first quarter. A 7-2 run in the opening four minutes of the second quarter saw Dynamo cut their deficit to 9, the difference remaining at 24-15 and further down to 7 at the conclusion of the quarter as the two sides headed to the locker rooms with the Ugandan champions leading 31-24. Ndayiragije's charges went on a five-point streak to come to within a basket of Oilers in the opening two minutes of the second half but that rally was soon put to a stop, with Opong and Titus Odeke contributing 9 from behind the arc to reclaim the Ugandan side's advantage at 44-30 with more than five minutes to play. Guibert Nijimbere weaved through Oilers' defence for back-to-back layups that brought his side deficit to 10, a difference that remained until the last 25 seconds of the quarter, Bienvenu Richard Ndikuriyo knocking a three that saw the game head to the final period with his side 7 points down at 53-46. ALSO READ: Road to BAL: Jo’burg awaits ‘make or break’ East Div. qualifier Brian Irakoze's hot hands had the deficit at 4 in the opening 30 seconds of the final stanza as Dynamo refused to go away with Deshaun Lamar orchestrating another run that brought Dynamo closer at 58-55. Odeke was, however, not having any of that as he bagged back-to-back treys and an alley-oop as Oilers went on a 12-0 run to restore a healthy lead at 70-55. Titus Odeke was heavily involved in pulling Oilers away when, on two different occasions, Dynamo came threateningly close. Shooting 4-of-6 from behind the arc to finish with 14 points, his contribution alongside Robinson Opong's could not be wished away. Robinson Opong takes the cake as he contributed a game-high 17 points, 15 off of threes that hurt Dynamo. 12 turnovers for Dynamo against 5 for Oilers in the first half told the story of a team that struggled to take care of the ball in crucial moments. In the end, the Burundians turned the ball over 23 times and missed 11 of 19 free throws only to lose by a similar number. Dynamo will be looking to win the Third-Place match set for Sunday and book the last ticket to the 2024 BAL while Oilers are out to keep a clean slate by winning the final.
