Namuwongo Blazers needed overtime to overcome South Sudan’s Patriots 85-81 on Saturday at the ongoing Road to BAL tournament in Hoima.

The Ugandan champions appeared to be cruising to victory after taking a 23-16 lead in the first quarter before extending their advantage to 15 points at halftime.

However, Patriots fought back in the third quarter, limiting the Blazers to 15 points to cut the deficit to just four.

Nam Blazers regained control in the fourth quarter, opening up an eight-point lead, but went scoreless in the final three minutes, allowing Patriots to force overtime through Jackson Makoi’s layup that tied the game at 72-72.

Cheered on by a sizeable crowd, the Blazers held their nerve in overtime, outscoring Patriots 13-9 to secure a hard-fought four-point victory.

Nigerian centre Peter Iwendiebo Olisemeka led the Blazers with a double-double of 10 points and 17 rebounds. Jonathan Jordan added 20 points, Makhtar Gueye contributed 17, while Richaud Pack and Peter Obleng scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Mater Ajok posted an impressive 23 points and 15 rebounds for Patriots, but his efforts were not enough to prevent defeat as the South Sudanese side lost the rebounding battle 48-60.

The victory extended Nam Blazers’ unbeaten run to three games, having earlier defeated COSPN and Ushindzi, leaving them on the verge of securing qualification for the Elite 16.

The Ugandan champions will face Burundi’s Urunani on Sunday in their final game, with the top spot in the group at stake.