Opong says City Oilers can’t throw the towel in after dropping to 0-3

City Oilers remain as the only winless team in the 2024 Nile Conference after a 79-68 loss to Al Ahly Ly on Monday.

It was the Ugandan champions’ third loss in the Nile group phase with three games left to play .

But Oilers shooting guard Robinson Opong insists they can’t throw the towel in.

“We have to stay positive,” said Opong who finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

What the Oilers need to do, Opong insisted is “to think about the next game, watch film and try to get better as much as we can in a short period of time.

“We are allowing teams to get comfortable early in the game, that speaks a lot about our defensive schemes.”

The comfort Opong referred to was Al Ahly Ly’s 42-15 lead midway through the second quarter.

The Oilers cut their deficit to just 13 points in the third quarter, but the damage was already done.

“In the second half we felt that we had a chance, but we dug a hole in the first half,” Opong acknowledged.

“We messed up big time. We played better in the second half. Hopefully we can build on that, and next game will be better.”

Although Khaman Maluach came up another terrific individual performance, finishing with 16 points, 19 rebounds, and set a record for most blocks (7) in a BAL game, the Oilers couldn’t capitalize from it.

Jo-Lual Acuil Jr. powered Al Ahly Ly with a game-high of 25 points and Kevin Murphy adding 22 points.

Souleyman Diabate was a rebound shy off a triple -double courtesy of his 15 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds off the bench.

Unlike their previous contribution against Al Ahly SC where they were outscored 38-8, Al Ahly Ly’s bench emerged more productive, contributing 30 points against City Oilers’ 24.

Al Ahly Ly center Ghayth Almaghribi said: “Whenever coach needs us to step up we are ready. We showed it today. We are trying to improve from our mistakes from the last game. We want more than just finishing first in the group. We want to achieve something new.”

“We played as a team; we defended well, and we played well in transition. We played as a unit; we were aggressive on both ends of the floor.”

Asked about potential improvement the Oilers need to make, Opong replied: “We are not locked in enough. We need to work on that.”

Al Ahly Ly improved to 2-1 ahead of the conference’s rest day on Tuesday, April 23.

All four teams will return to action on Wednesday with City Oilers facing hosts Al Ahly SC while Bangui Sporting Club face Al Ahly Ly.