The Namuwongo Blazers registered an 80-70 victory in game 3 to make the series 2-1. A couple of things were done in this game in order to get them over the line.

In this article, we shall delve into some of the key areas that the Blazers got the better of the City Oilers.

Tonny Drileba Calming Effect

In games one and two, there was a bit of rush on offense and this created transition opportunities for the City Oilers.

In game three, the Nam Blazers spent a lot of time running sets. They kept moving the ball, assessing options and waiting for the right opportunity.

This not only helped them get off high quality shots but set them up defensively to stop the transition.

The key person who controlled and ran the game was Tonny Drileba. With him on the floor, there was calmness and composure. This rubbed off of the rest of the team and there was no panic whatsoever throughout the game.

3-point shooting

This was a very big difference and one could say that it is among the primary reasons as to why the Nam Blazers won the game.  

In games one and two, the City Oilers scored 10 3-point shots per game. They scored 20 of 49, 41% from the 3-point line. On the flip side, the Nam Blazers scored just 6 of 51 attempted.

Game three was different. Both teams scored 6 3-points shots, the Oilers with 30 attempts (20%) while the Blazers had 25 attempts (24%).

In game one, 8 of the Oilers made threes, were uncontested. In game 2, it was a lot of catch and shoot for the 10-time champions.

The Nam Blazers made it a little more difficult for the City Oilers in game 3.

They contested most of the shots and the Oilers struggled to bury the shots that they made easily in the first 2 games.

Limiting Transition/ limiting Kurt Curry and Chad Bowie

 In games one and two, the Oilers had a field day feasting from transition.  Kurt Curry and Chad Bowie enjoyed themselves as they kept attacking the Blazers defense before it set up.

What the Blazers did better was to have bodies behind the ball to prevent the easy transition for the City Oilers. Every time the Oilers ran transition, they found not one but two or more bodies waiting for them.

A lot of the times, more so in the first half, Oilers opted to shoot the 3 rather than attack. This played in the hands of the Blazers since Oilers missed most of their attempts.

This was different from how games one and two were. There were a lot of times that Kurt Curry just beat the defender or put his body between the man and the ball to finish at the rim. That is how he attracted most of his fouls and scored at the free throw line.

Screen Action/ Pick and Roll

The Namuwongo Blazers enjoyed themselves every time they ran action on the screen particularly when Kurt Curry and Chad Bowie were involved.

There was hesitation by the Oilers to switch (on the screen) and this allowed the Blazers some space to get off open shots.

Chad and Kurt did not try hard enough to fight through the screens and that is how the Blazers managed to get that second or two, to get off a clean shot.

We also saw a lot of pick and rolls more so when Tonny Drileba was handling the ball. He managed to get a couple of dimes to the big men who had a good day shooting from the mid-range.

This will be an area that the City Oilers need to address in game four but the Nam Blazers also know that they can capitalize on this aspect.

Points in the Paint

In all the 3 games, the Namuwongo Blazers have outscored the City Oilers for the points in the paint. For game 3, the Blazers scored 42 while the Oilers scored just 30.

In the first 2 games, the Blazers outscored the Oilers 88-64. This helped them a lot, as they managed to get off more high percentage shots which resulted in baskets.

These are some of the areas in which the Namuwongo Blazers beat the City Oilers.

Both the teams will feel that they have ways in which they can adjust and for the City Oilers, the areas above will be looked at mostly.

Game 4 will be on Friday 31st October and it will be very interesting which adjustments that both teams make as they pursue a victory.