The Namuwongo Blazers defeated the City Oilers 73-67 on take game one of the 2026 NBL Finals. The game which was played on Wednesday 5th August at the Lugogo Indoor Arena saw the defending champions, led by Tonny Drileba, take advantage in the series.

Coming into the game, the Namuwongo Blazers had swept the UCU Canons while the City Oilers had also swept the Rezlife Saints in the semifinals. During the regular season, each of these teams had one a game but the squad, particularly for the Oilers, had a number of new faces. Despite being ‘new’, some City Oilers players like Drileba and James Okello had played with them before and they knew what they were all about. This meant that the teams were even and they knew themselves very well.

Statement first quarter

The Namuwongo Blazers score 25 points in the first quarter and led the game 25:14. However, it was a very good first 3 minutes for them. They missed a couple of baskets and it looked like the Oilers were starting to gather steam. The tide soon changed. The Blazers started to knock down shots from distance. They made 5 3-point shots, Nyembo and Drileba with a pair each while Innocent Ochera knocked doen the other. The most important shot was the buzzer beater from Tonny Drileba at the end of the quarter. We saw him repeat that in the second quarter and the Arena was rocking.

Scrappy second quarter

The second quarter of this game was very scrappy for both teams. In the first 5 minutes, a total of points were scored. However, in the final 3 minutes, the scoring increased slightly though not in the desired way. Patrick Rembert scored the final 10 points for the Oilers in the half while Tonny Drileba hit his second buzzer beater to close the half and this sent the crowd into a frenzy. The Blazers led 39-29 at the halftime break but there was still a long way to go for both teams.

Ochera gets hot

To start the third quarter, Innocent Ochera got hot. He made back-to-back 3-point shots and a pair of free throws while Tonny Drileba added a layup to extend the Blazers’ lead to 15 points. For most of the quarter, Namuwongo had a comfortable double-digit lead. Despite that, the Oilers were still fighting.

Futile comeback attempt

In the fourth, the Oilers kept within striking distance and at some point, it looked like they would turn the game around. The Blazers were scoreless for a 4-minute stretch in the fourth quarter and the Oilers cut the deficit to just 4 points. At this point, Tonny Drileba made a clutch 3 but the Oilers were still in the fight.

With about a minute to go, Anthiny Chukwurah had a chance to close the game but he missed a pair of free throws. In that instant, the Blazers committed foul and Titus Lual had a chance to make it a 5-point game. This was the moment that everyone thought could turn the game around but unfortunately of fortunately, Titus also missed the 2 free throws.

The Blazers held on to win the game 73-67 and took advantage in the series.

Top Performers

Tonny Drileba was the star performer and he registered 16 points, 4 3PM, 9 assists, 5 steals and 6 rebounds. Franck Nyembo made a team-high 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals while Innocent Ochera finished with 15 points.

Patrick Rembert registered a playoff-high 28 points while Germaine Roebuck and Landry Ndikumana each scored 8 points but registered double digit assists, 14 and 12 respectively.

It is important to note that we did not see the best version of these teams. The Blazers had very many players who performed below expected and it is very difficult to imagine how this team will perform if all cylinders are firing.

The Oilers were heavily reliant of Rembert and that may not be the best version of this team. Fayed, Joel Lukoji all have to get more involved. If the wealth is spread around, the team may thrive so much more.

Game 2

The 2 teams will return to action on Friday August 7, 2026 at the Lugogo Indoor Arena. The game will be tipping off at exactly 8:00pm.