The Rezlife Saints defeated Sommet 69-61 on Sunday night at the Lugogo Indoor Arena, clinching a 2-1 series victory to advance to the 2026 NBL semifinals. This was an end to end game with a total of 18 lead changes and the game being tied 15 times.

Coming off an 84-67 loss in Game 2 that allowed Sommet to level the series, the Saints entered Lugogo knowing there was no margin for error. In game 1, the game was neck and neck but the Saints managed to score the game winning free throw with less than a second left in the game.

However, in game 2, in their own backyard, Sommet smacked them by 17 points which was highly unexpected. So ahead of game 3, Rezlife had something to prove but Sommet had the momentum.

Rezlife looked sharp to start the game and they managed to take a 19-15 lead after the first period. However, in the second quarter, their defense was too open and Sommet sliced through them with ease. They also fouled a lot and this helped Sommet gain steam.

Sommet scored 7 free throws in the quarter but they also drove to the basket with ease. Mathew Kisakye was also on fire as he scored 9 of Sommet’s 21 points in the quarter.

In the third quarter, both teams were going band for band and there was never a big separation. The drama unfolded in the fourth quarter.

Midway the final period, Sommet made a 6-0 run and with less than 4 minutes to play, they led by 5 points. The lead was not significant but nothing about the way Rezlife was playing indicated that they were a very big threat.

However, all that changed when Hon Kwany hit a big 3-point shot and all of a sudden, Sommet crumbled. A couple of second later, Edrine and Omanye scored to give Rezlife a 2-point lead with about 3 minutes left.

At that point, the demeanor of Sommet was bad and they looked beaten despite the game still having a long way to go. They never scored for the remainder of the game while Rezlife added 6 points and closed the game with a 13-point run.

Player Stats

Despite defeat, Sommet’s Mathew Kisakye was mesmerizing and led the game in scoring with 20 points with 7/8 from the field. Dieu Thuok had 13 while Pater Cheng scored 10 points plus 6 rebounds for Sommet.

Edrine Ekau led the way for Rezlife with 17 points and 5 steals. Micheal Otieno had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists while Hon Kwany and Chris Omanye each had 10 points.

Semifinals up next

Having survived a gritty quarterfinal round, the Rezlife Saints will channel their focus to the next challenge. They are slated to face the powerhouse City Oilers in a best-of-five semifinal series. In the first round, Rezlife was the only team to defeat the Oilers and there will be scores to be settled.

Meanwhile, the other side of the NBL bracket will feature a 2025 semifinals rematch between the Namuwongo Blazers and the UCU Canons.