The final score doesn’t paint the real picture of how close this game was and how thin, the difference between the 2 teams was.

The KIU Titans started the game with fire and closed the quarter with a 6 point lead.

The second quarter was quite even and the Titans had maintained their lead until the last 90 seconds when the Oilers scored 8 unanswered points and took the lead.

The Titans turned the game around in the third quarter. Amisi Saidi scored 11 points alone and somehow every time the Oilers made a move, he came up with a huge response.

In the fourth quarter, both teams were exchanging the lead until the Oilers put up a little gap.

With 2:55 left, Tony Drileba made a huge 3 point shot to make it a 5 point game and the Titans never scored any Field Goal thereafter.

The City Oilers defense was top notch defending ferociously and making life difficult for the KIU Titans.

Stats

Amisi Saidi led the scoring with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Joseph Chuma once again coming up big with 12 points, 8 rebs and 2 big blocks

Edgar Munaba off the bench with 12 pts, 4 rebs and 1 ast.

Joel Lukoji played with a lot of flair and he got himself 10 pts, 8 rebs, 6 ast,

City Oilers had 5 players in double digits

Titus Lual 16 pts, 8 rebs, 2 ast, 4 3PM, 2 blk

Okello James 10 pts, 14 rebs, 1 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk

Tonny Drileba 13 pts, 7 rebs, 2 ast

Jimmy Enabu 11 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast

Ruai Luak 12 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast

Key Takeaways

Experience was a key point in the game. The Oilers Old Guard stepped up when it mattered the most. James Okello, played like an NBA all star and the was unstoppable.

Titus Lual showed us the range in his offense. He made 4 3-point shots (the most in the game) and he looked like he was enjoying himself.

The KIU Titans played well but every time they had the momentum, they seemed to make a few minor errors that consequently cost them the game.

They made 23 turnovers, 19 of them being steals by City Oil and as a result, Oilers scored 23 points off turnovers compared to just 9 for KIU.

They also gave the Oilers so many second chances. The Oilers picked 23 offensive rebounds to get extra possessions and scored 23 second chance points compared to 11 for the Titans.

All in all, the game was very close and both teams seemed to do the right stuff to stop the opponents attacks.

The KIU Titans have enough to force game 6 but it will be an uphill task for them against a very experienced City Oilers side that knows how to get the job done.

Game 5 will be on Sunday and 2 questions need to be answered.

Can the City Oilers make it 9 titles in a row?

Can KIU Titans force game 6?