Basketball in Africa

By Paul Munyuki
Marondera

HARARE'S Churchill Boys High made it three in a row when they defended their title as the Nash-Top Schools Basketball Champions after dismissing spirited Marist Brothers Nyanga 62-59 in the final here yesterday.

There were new holders in the girls' category when Empandeni edged Loreto 42-41 to write their own piece of history as they became the second girls side to win the title since the launch of the competition.

The girls tournament had been dominated by Girls High School also of Harare who won the previous five editions of the tournament but things were different this year.

The Churchill Bulldogs managed to beat Marist Nyanga on exposure and experience as they have all their players plying their trade with the Harare Basketball League teams.

Marist Nyanga took the lead in the first quarter (22-13) but by the end of the first half, Churchill had reduced the gap to 34-36.

At the end of the third quarter, the sides were level at 48-48 and it was also in the last quarter that the Marist Nyanga trio of Tawanda Mufokozana, Mathew Sagwete and Ronald Nyamariwata seemed to have taken control of the game but that was not to be.Churchill managed to stay calm and the Stormers' quad of Nomutsa Mpezeni, Simba Dongonda, Kelvin Zakazaka and Tatenda Kembo co-ordinated well.

Sigauke's Tawanda Chitsinde, Emmannuel Kusema, the team captain, and Advent Karikumasa of Churchill proved too powerful for Marist Nyanga in the dying minutes of the game.

To book a place in the boys final, the Bulldogs had beaten Lomagundi College 71-39 in the semi-finals while Marist Nyanga managed to overpower Loreto 44-36. Earlier on Marist Nyanga and Churchill had met in the group stages where the champions upset the runners-up 34-27, giving the winners a good run for their money. Loreto, on the other hand, had finished tops in Pool B while Lomagundi were placed second in the same pool.