Sommet managed to extend their season after defeating the City Oilers 86-83 in game 4 to force a deciding game 5.

This was a tight game from tip-off till the end and there was a bit of drama in the final seconds.

With less than 10 seconds to play, Sommet led the game by 2 points and they had the possession.

After an inbound, there was an incident and the whistle was blown.

Either a back court violation was going to be called or a foul.

If it was a back court violation, the City Oilers would have a chance to tie or win the game.

However, after some lengthy dialogue between the umpires Anitah and Baker, they agreed on a foul and Andrew Ssendawula went to the free throw line.

The Oilers weren’t happy and the bench was charged with a technical. 

Cheng missed the free throw and Ssendawula made 1 of 2 to make it a 3-point game and seal the win.

Before this game, there was news from the Sommet camp. The boss wasn’t happy.

After victory in game one, some players who hadn’t been fully cleared were promised their money in the coming days.

However, after back-to-back losses, there was a delay in the clearance.

Ahead of game 4, some players expressed their concerns about clearance of their money.

It is said that the boss told them “I want value for money”

This was a clear message. You make me happy, I also make you happy.

Sommet players came to show value for money.

Mark Ngobi was given a defensive assignment to take care of Fayed and at some point Chad Bowie.

He played hard, aggressively and was like a hounding dog.

Ngobi finished with 20 points but surprisingly, scoring wasn’t what made him standout in this game.

It was the defense. Showing “value for money”.

Even after scoring, there was no time to celebrate. He quickly went back to his defensive duties.

Sommet played a box and one with Mark Ngobi on Fayed and he took care of business.

After barely playing in the series, Mulisho Mohammed was given an opportunity and the way he played showed value for money.

He played less than 10 minutes but he was a beast defensively. He understood the assignment and executed.

Opira Markey came on for 7 minutes but he was also locked in defensively and rewarded himself with 5 points. Value for money.

Tembo was locked in. Franck Nyembo was on top of his game as usual. Despite going under the radar, he was phenomenal.

Peter Cheng started on the bench but his impact was tremendous.

Almost everyone on the Sommet team that played was locked in. Their defense was the most important thing and they built on top of that offensively.

If the big man wanted to see value for money, that was the perfect display and I guess by Friday 7:00 pm, no one shall be demanding.

Just like in game one, the game was tied 44-44 at the halftime break.

At that point, Nyembo had already achieved a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The game was close, even through the third quarter but defensively, Sommet was working more.

In the final 5 minutes of the game, Sommet led by 8 points after Tembo made a steal and finished with an easy layup.

There was a mini shooting clinic that ensued shortly after.

In clutch time, Chad Bowie pulled up for a triple but Nyembo responded with one of his own.

Kurt Curry then pulled on the next possession but Peter Cheng responded immediately to take it back to an 8-point lead.

Sommet then made 2 mistakes and the Oilers punished them to make it a 4-point game.

The game remained close but a couple of incidents decided the final outcome.

With 1:05 left, Nyembo went to the free throw line with a chance to make it a 6-point game.

Unfortunately he missed both free throws but Sommet got away with it.

In the process of fighting for the rebound, Titus Lual fouled Peter Cheng and Sommet went to the free throw line once again.

This time around, Cheng made 1 of 2 to make it a 84-79.

On the next Oilers possession, Kurt Curry threw up a hail Mary but he was fortunate to get a foul.

He went to the line with a chance to make it a 2-point game with a minute left in the game.

Unfortunately for him, he missed 2 of the 3 free throws and this was a huge relief for Sommet.

The game was still on though as Titus Lual scored a huge 3 to make it a 2-point game before that ‘controversial’ foul at the end.

Sommet had 61 rebounds, 14 more than the City Oilers and this was the difference.

They also opted to go to the paint more and they scored 48 points in the paint, 14 more than City Oilers.

There decision to work in the paint paid off heavily and this is one of the things they will hope to maintain in game 5.

Player Stats

Sommet

Nyembo Fataki 23 pts, 17 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl

Mark Ngobi 20 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast

Kasereka Tembo 16 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl

Peter Cheng 10 pts, 14 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk

City Oilers

Titus Lual 15 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk

Kurt Curry 15 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast

Mer Maker 12 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk, 1 ast, 1 stl

Fayed Baale 11 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast

The series is tied 2-2 and for the first time since 2022, the City Oilers face elimination.

Game 5 shall be played on Friday 26th at YMCA in Wandegeya.

Who advances? We shall find out.