Basketball in Africa

The DR of Congo national team is currently practicing in Kinshasa for the All Africa Games in Algeria in July and the African Championships in Angola in August. To strengthen the team , the national coaches invited Loo Djo Yele (-F/C) (South Africa) , Yohan Lukendu (France) , Pierrot Mwamba Ilunga (200-F) (Angola) ,Celo Lifetu Selengue (202-C-75) (Angola) and Jim Tshimpaka Kadima (-C) (Congo Brazzaville) to the national team.
Other players that were included are Eyenga Christian , Docta Lukusa Mutombo (-81) , Tatu Mbowa Kalengayi (-80) , Isasi Ndelo , Mohamed Ntumba (-85) , Ndala Mutombo, Eric Kibonge, Alain Nzadi, Michael Musangu and Junior Kasongo.
This wont be the strongest team that the country could field in such an event, as there are by far more players abroad which could change significantly the look of the team if invited then the ones named.

By Kristian Santiago

Zenith League

The final circuit of the Zenith Bank female league continued at the National Stadium, Lagos yesterday with four games as in other fixtures. In the first match, Delta Force lived up to the bookmakers rating by defeating AHIP of Kano but hardly did any expert know that the result would be a blow out of 96-56. In the first two days in Lagos, most of the matches had been well contested with the point’s margin not so wide.
The Customs continued a fight for the fourth position when the league rounds off on Saturday with a 59-47 defeat over the Immigration team. With the result, it means the Immigration ladies are yet to win any game out of 17 matches so far played in the series.
At noon today, second placed Dolphins will take on Immigration in the first match of the day. The match is as good as won for Dolphins except that the total points will definitely be difficult to predict. First Bank will step out against AHIP in the second game of the day at 1.30pm. For bookmakers, the Elephant Girls will most likely win the match.
And as the ladies play their league series, the junior national men’s team have commenced their training programme in Lagos as earlier announced by the team managers. The players who are in an open camp, except for those that reside outside Lagos, train in the mornings before the league matches start at noon.
“We have 16 players in camp now; just two of them are not here for now. This last before the final phase in June that will feature essentially the team for the FIBA Championship,” Adeka Daudu, the coach of the team told THISDAY.
Only 15 of the players will train in June before embarking on the flight to Serbia for the FIBA U19 Men’s Championship.

The Kenya Universities and Colleges combined basketball team-Varsity Teams finished third overall in both the ladies and men's category in the just concluded 2007 Inter-Cities Championships held in Nairobi , Kenya .

The Ladies Varsity Team defeated Dar es Salaam City 65-44 in the third place play-off. Irene Makori, Sarah Chan and Doreen Minala led the teams' onslaught as they took the first quarter 19-14. Dar City recovered through Lucy Augustino and Eliza Masenyi to tie the second quarter 13-13 for a 32-27 scoreline at the break in Varsity's favour. However, that's as close as they could get as Varsity team, under Coach Tonny Ochieng, recovered on resumption to take the third quarter 11-08, and the final quarter 22-09 to seal the victory. Irene Makori bagged 20 points with Doreen Minala added 10 for the Varsity team, as Lucy Augostino and Eliza Masenyi combined for 15 points.

Varsity Team: Linet Mukiri, Elenor Musindi, Brenad Odula, Evelyn Sande, Irene Atieno, Immaculate Agasta, Sarah Chan, Sylvia Omullo, Doreen Minala, Michelle Otinda, Lucy Otieno, Irene Makori. Coach: Tonny Ochieng

Varsity Team 88 vs. Mwanza Team (Tanzania) 74

The men's varsity side put up a combined effort to edge out Mwanza Team 88-74 in an entertaining tie. The youthful side, shrugged off Saturdays fatigue they incurred as they battled the Nairobi City Team, to lead the Tanzanian side throughout the game to register the deserved win. Guards Micah Opinya, Allan Ouma and Abel Nson took care of the back-court as dunking-guru Lionel Manyara, Fred Magana and Martin Okwako kept the teams offensive alive in the front court.

Varsity Team: Fred Magana, Abel Nson, Allan Ouma, Collins Ouko, Djibril Ouedraogo, Roy Kahure, Eugene Genga, Willy Mastamet, Mica Opinya, Lionel Manyara, Rodney Genga, Paul Nyakinda, Martin Okwako. Coach: George Mayienga

The South African National team had a camp this past weekend in Durban in preparation for the All Africa Games. It was the second camp held by Basketball South Africa since the Professional Basketball League came to an end on the 24^th of February. Sadly, the SA media was kept in the dark about both the camps as no press release was sent informing us about the camps. The players invited to both camps were Quintin Denyssen, Kenneth Motaung, Nyakallo Nthuping, Joseph Mazibuko, Lesego Molebatsi, Neo Mothiba, Malakia Laote, Lowell Mndaweni, Vusi Dlamini, Nhlanhla Dlamini, Thabang Kgwedi, and Thabo Letsebe.
South Africa will be using the All Africa games as preparation for the African Championships hosted in Angola in August. For most African countries the African Champs are more significant because the top two teams at the African Championships will represent Africa at the 2008 Olympics.

At the first camp that took place earlier on in May, Head Coach Flosh Ngwenya, worked on player fitness. Considering the long 3 month off-season for the professional players I think it was a good place to start. This time around, the team started working on the offenses and defenses that they will be running at the All Africa Games.

South Africa will not have it easy in Algeria in July. They have been drawn in the same group as Northern Hemisphere basketball powerhouses Egypt, Africa’s 2006 Fiba World Championship representative Senegal, All Africa Games host Algeria and the very competitive Cameroon. Quintin Denyssen says that they are looking at improving on their last performance and at least advance to the quarter finals.

In my opinion, South Africa will really struggle this time around. Unlike before the Zone 6 qualifiers hosted in Zimbabwe at the end of February where SA went undefeated, our players haven’t been playing basketball at a high level. The 3 month pro basketball league drought in South Africa means our players will be very rusty heading into July.

There has also been a lack of commitment to adequately prepare the team for Algeria. I would have expected SA to play several friendly games against Angola, and to tour Europe in preparation for such a huge tournament. I also expected SA to call up Frans Steyn, a 7-foot center, who plays for the Tulsa 66’ers in the NBA development league. Flosh Ngwenya, has a big task ahead of him and I fear that without the necessary experience around him, we will be exposed. As we speak Flosh Ngwenya doesn’t yet have an assistant coach. These are the type of issues that hold back South Africa back year in and year out from performing according to expectations.
We have made huge blunders, such as letting go of Sam Vincent, one of the best coaches we have ever had, as national team coach. Since leaving South Africa, Sam Vincent has gone on to coach the Nigerian women’s national team in the Olympics, the Nigerian men’s national team in the Fiba World Basketball Championships, he was then appointed as assistant coach of the Dallas Mavericks who had the best record in the NBA last season and most recently it was announced that he has been earmarked to be the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.
I don’t expect us to do well at the All Africa Games, but I will still fly the South African flag high in support of my country, with the hope that a miracle will happen.

By Roderick Takawira

PLS HAWKS edged out Premium Cobras 74-71 in a nerve-racking Men’s division 1A match on Sunday at the Palais des Sports. The win – their second this year against their main rivals – should serve as a morale-booster for the Hawks who were winless against the Cobras last season.

Both teams started Sunday’s match on a very aggressive note while at the same time being cautious of committing senseless mistakes.
PLS Hawks took an early 7-4 lead only to see the Cobras fight back to steal it at 12-11. This forced PLS Hawks’ coach Clifford Joubert to call for a time-out and his instructions were well executed by his players who snatched back the lead which they kept until the end of the first quarter – 15-14.

With the score being close, the two teams tried hard to outscore each other in the second quarter, but PLS Hawks held on to their lead. As both teams kept misfiring, the fans waited for six long minutes before Premium Cobras’ captain James Beier scored a free-throw to tie the score at 25-25. But it was once again PLS Hawks who enjoyed a good run, outscoring Premium Cobras 10-0 for a 35-25 half-time lead.

Premium Cobras showed more urgency in their game in the third quarter in an attempt to bridge the gap, but PLS Hawks remained concentrated and did not allow them time to work out their plays.

Spearheaded by Ugandan all-rounder Stephen Omony who scored 23 points, the Hawks maintained their lead and at the end of the third quarter the scoreboard read 52-44.
In the fourth and final quarter of the match, the action on the court kept the spectators on the edge of their seats as Premium Cobras, who got a game-high 24 points from Tanzanian import Abdallah ‘Dulla’ Ramadhan, tried their best to come back. As Premium Cobras sent everything in attack, PLS Hawks’ players committed a lot of fouls, but coach Guy Hall’s guys just could not sink the free-throws they were awarded and this cost them the match.

At the end of the match, Premium Cobras’ team president Roy Collie said he accepted defeat, but complained of an error by the game’s time keeper who let the clock run for six seconds during a time-out.

“I don’t have any excuse for the defeat, but I would like to point out that we are encountering problems to train as we share the Mont Fleuri court with two other teams.
There was also the error by the time-keeper and in six seconds we could have won the match. Overall, I am satisfied with my team’s performance and I would like to congratulate PLS Hawks for their win,” said Collie.
As for PLS Hawks’ manager Jimmy Esparon, he said that “even though my team haven’t reached their peak yet, I am quite satisfied with my players’ performance.”
“The league is far from over and there are some very good teams vying for the league crown. We are one of the contenders and we are ready to face any opponent at any time,” he added.

Results of other matches played during the weekend:

Men’s division 1A
Angels 86 Cascade Bullets 59
SMB Razorbacks 78 Falcons 67

Men’s division 1B
Juniors 92 Ex-Champs 68

Men’s division 2
Beau Vallon Heat 63 LMS Jazz 46
Fire Brigade 58 Baie Ste Anne Dawgz 52
Women’s league
Anse Etoile Stars 72 RA Sisters 36

R. D.

PLS HAWKS edged out Premium Cobras 74-71 in a nerve-racking Men’s division 1A match on Sunday at the Palais des Sports. The win – their second this year against their main rivals – should serve as a morale-booster for the Hawks who were winless against the Cobras last season.

Both teams started Sunday’s match on a very aggressive note while at the same time being cautious of committing senseless mistakes.
PLS Hawks took an early 7-4 lead only to see the Cobras fight back to steal it at 12-11. This forced PLS Hawks’ coach Clifford Joubert to call for a time-out and his instructions were well executed by his players who snatched back the lead which they kept until the end of the first quarter – 15-14.

With the score being close, the two teams tried hard to outscore each other in the second quarter, but PLS Hawks held on to their lead. As both teams kept misfiring, the fans waited for six long minutes before Premium Cobras’ captain James Beier scored a free-throw to tie the score at 25-25. But it was once again PLS Hawks who enjoyed a good run, outscoring Premium Cobras 10-0 for a 35-25 half-time lead.

Premium Cobras showed more urgency in their game in the third quarter in an attempt to bridge the gap, but PLS Hawks remained concentrated and did not allow them time to work out their plays.

Spearheaded by Ugandan all-rounder Stephen Omony who scored 23 points, the Hawks maintained their lead and at the end of the third quarter the scoreboard read 52-44.
In the fourth and final quarter of the match, the action on the court kept the spectators on the edge of their seats as Premium Cobras, who got a game-high 24 points from Tanzanian import Abdallah ‘Dulla’ Ramadhan, tried their best to come back. As Premium Cobras sent everything in attack, PLS Hawks’ players committed a lot of fouls, but coach Guy Hall’s guys just could not sink the free-throws they were awarded and this cost them the match.

At the end of the match, Premium Cobras’ team president Roy Collie said he accepted defeat, but complained of an error by the game’s time keeper who let the clock run for six seconds during a time-out.

“I don’t have any excuse for the defeat, but I would like to point out that we are encountering problems to train as we share the Mont Fleuri court with two other teams.
There was also the error by the time-keeper and in six seconds we could have won the match. Overall, I am satisfied with my team’s performance and I would like to congratulate PLS Hawks for their win,” said Collie.
As for PLS Hawks’ manager Jimmy Esparon, he said that “even though my team haven’t reached their peak yet, I am quite satisfied with my players’ performance.”
“The league is far from over and there are some very good teams vying for the league crown. We are one of the contenders and we are ready to face any opponent at any time,” he added.

Results of other matches played during the weekend:

Men’s division 1A
Angels 86 Cascade Bullets 59
SMB Razorbacks 78 Falcons 67

Men’s division 1B
Juniors 92 Ex-Champs 68

Men’s division 2
Beau Vallon Heat 63 LMS Jazz 46
Fire Brigade 58 Baie Ste Anne Dawgz 52
Women’s league
Anse Etoile Stars 72 RA Sisters 36

R. D.

Men
UCU Canons 52 S/Power 50
Rhinos 74 MUK-Heaters 66
Women
Cubs 46 Crane HS 40
UCU Canons continued their national basketball league fairytale run with a 52-50 victory over Sadolin Power over the weekend.
The victory was the sixth in a row for the Canons, who confirmed their contention for the title.

By Caxton Apollo
Nairobi

Champions Nairobi City men and women's basketball teams yesterday retained the East and Central Africa inter-cities titles during the finals held at Nairobi's Nyayo Stadium.
Nairobi women's side set the ball rolling with a hard-fought 86-86 win over rivals Kampala City Council Leopards. Nairobi led 41-31 at half-time.

In the closely contested men's final last night, Nairobi had to battle from a narrow 40-39 half-time lead to beat stubborn Tanzania's Dar es Salaam 84-77.

A repeat of last year's final in Kampala saw Gilbert Batungi and Harun Ashiafru scare their hosts with an early 4-0 run.

Tension

After Yoni Wanambiro hit Nairobi's opening free-throw at 4-1, Ancette Wafula, who hit six three-pointers made it 4-4. Nairobi beat Tanzania's Mwanza 77-55 in the men's semi-final while Dar es Salaam defeated Kenya's Varsities 69-63 to qualify for the final.

Dar es Salaam remained a hard nut to crack as they again went up 8-7 in a hotly contested first quarter in which Nairobi finally led 22-16. There was tension from both sides as Dar es Salaam refused to go down tying the duel twice 22-22 and 34-34.

John Apollo, was left loose to nail a critical basket with Horace Nyandera's jump shot earning Nairobi a narrow 40--39 half-time lead.

After Dar es Salaam outscored Nairobi 23-18 in the second quarter, coach Gitau Waringo of Nairobi was still a worried man as the height advantaged Tanzanians locked it all 16-16 in the third quarter.

Top scorers

In the last quarter, Nairobi enjoyed a one point lead at (56-55) before Ben Oluoch and Nyandera fired from close range for a 6-0 run.

Dar es Salaam, who had a great game did not recover as Nairobi built a 10 points margin at (71-61) with four minutes left.

Wafula emerged the top scorer with 26 points, Wanambiro provided 11 for Nairobi while Jacob Marenga and Mohammed Ally each replied with 13 for Dar es Salaam.

Coach Waringo of Nairobi said: "There is nothing to celebrate because we only won our due to long experience since it took my players too long to penetrate their opponents good defence".

Petro de Luanda, title-holders, are facing this Tuesday evening in Luanda's Cidadela pavilion their main rival, 1º de Agosto, a group A game counting for the final phase of the national championship.
The two teams are coming from a victory, in the last previous round, against Interclube and Atlético Sport Aviação (ASA), respectively by 100-63, and 100-86.
In case Petro win they will be much closer to retaining the title, Whereas if the victory goes to 1º de Agosto they will continue to dream with the trophy, which they last won in 2005.
Petro de Luanda are leading the championship with 15 points, followed by 1º de Agosto with 13.
The third place is being occupied by Interclube with 11 points, and in the fourth position come ASA with 10. The two teams will also face each other this Tuesday afternoon at 04.00 O'clock.

The Zenith Bank Female Basketball League played into Day Two yesterday as the elite teams go through the final circuit. While the other teams are battling for quality places on the table, the Immigration ladies appear to have a different agenda as they are yet to win any game in the league after 16 matches through Abuja, Asaba and Lagos.
The Immigration team played the opening match yesterday and lost by 82-52 to Delta Force.
This afternoon they would take on the Nigeria Customs ladies in a bold try for a win. Without looking into the crystal the fixture is quite an uphill arrangement for the Immigration team.
Sunshine Angels continued with a good run through the series with a 69-46 win over AHIP ladies.
Sunshine girls who were pre-match favourites lived up to expectations as they led through the four quarters. The win has kept the Akure based team in focus for a possible top four position at the end of the series on Saturday.
The Lagos leg of the competition began Sunday afternoon at the National Stadium with the first match between AHIP and Dolphins which Dolphins won at 88-42 while Amazons defeated the Immigration team 71-61 in the second match. The third and fourth matches of Sunday were well contested as the games were won by two and three points respectively. Delta Force defeated Sunshine 51-49 at the buzzer in the third game while First beat Customs 61-58 in the late night game. Customs took the first quarter at 22-6 to the surprise of the spectators but the Bankers tied up just before the end of the second quarter and took the lead. But just into the last quarter the Customs tied up after cutting down the 12-point lead. The game was thus won in the last 20 seconds.
"The Customs girls came here business-like. They were ready to play and win while my players were in a dream world underrating their opponents," Aderemi Adewunmi, the First Bank coach said.
For the Customs coach, Scott Nnaji, a stronger bench would have saved the day for him.
"Yes, we started well but when the person on the bench cannot match the ability of the player she is replacing on court it becomes a problem and you gradually begin to lose points. Our bench was not strong enough to withstand the pressure," Nnaji said.
Sunshine Angels will play First Bank in the last match of today billed for 4.30pm.

By Pius Ayinor

HOSTS of the Africa Zone 5 Inter City Championship-Nairobi have tarnished their image by using underhand methods to get positive results. Other teams from Tanzania and Uganda 's Kampala are crying foul over the biased officiating and harsh treatment.

On Thursday night, Ronnie Owino, the Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) chairman let the cat out of the bag when he stormed the court, abused referees and chased all the table officials for 'favouring' Dar es Salaam men's team at the expense of Nairobi.

Dar es Salaam was leading 46-35 towards the climax of third quarter before Owino 'intervened' and made a mess of the whole event. With the biased and intimidated officials, Nairobi got the better of the last quarter and won the game 65-58.

Besides, the home teams were adding players onto their lists at will, despite tournament regulations to use only 12. "It's only Uganda where visitors are treated with empathy but don't expect anything like that here," Kampala head coach Nimrod Kaboha warned his players after seeing them struggle to beat Nairobi Combined amid unfair refereeing.

Kampala also easily saw-off Dar es Salaam Friday evening, to go through the preliminaries unbeaten.

Results

Women
Dar 46 Kampala 96
Nairobi 65 Dar 58

POINTE LARUE-BASED Falcons Basketball Club have received a donation of two sets of uniform from their long-time sponsor, Harold Green, who is Seychelles’ Honorary Consul in Alaska.It was Seychelles’ Honorary Consul in Seattle, Lise Church, who made the presentation on behalf of Mr Green to the club’s manager, Nichol Gabriel. The ceremony took place at the Mirabel Night Club at Pointe Larue in the presence of the club management and players.

In her address, Ms Church explained that it was an honour to stand in for Mr Green and present the equipments to the club. She also encouraged the players to stay focused on the game, thus stay on course during the highly competitive season.

For his part, club manager Gabriel thanked Mr Green for his continuous support towards the club and the youth of Pointe Larue in general. He also called on the players to encourage their sponsors by delivering good results and also to maintain a very high standard of discipline at all times.

During the ceremony, the players were also awarded with medals for winning two consecutive promotions to higher divisions in 2005 and 2006.

It is to note that Mr Green’s partnership with the Falcons Basketball Club dates back to 1996 and the past donations have been mostly in the form of basketball shoes.

Defending champion of the Zenith Bank female premier league, First Bank Elephant Girls escaped a shocking defeat Sunday when it won a hard fought game against border girls Customs basketball club by 61-58 points in the final leg of the round-trip league played at the sports hall of the Lagos National Stadium, Surulere.

The Scott Nnaji coached Customs had coast home to a 20-06 points win in the first quarter only to surrender in the second and third quarters (22-08 and 22-12) but came back strongly into the game in the fourth and decisive quarter which it won 18-11 points but missed winning the match by two quick turnovers in the dying second of the thrilling match watched by capacity crowd.

The first pairing of the day saw Dolphins basketball club of Lagos making mince meat of hapless AHIP Queens basketball club of Kano by 88-42 points of 21-05; 24-13; 19-12 and 24-12 to set up clash against Customs Monday.

Dodan Amazons got the better of Nigeria Immigration basketball club of kano by 71-61 points to confirm the relegation of the Kano based Passport ladies, the Amazons will do battle against favourite First Bank in the third match Monday while Immigration will take to the court against Sunshine Angels of Akure conqueror, Delta Force of Asaba.

The Sunshine girls of coach Andrew Ishokpehi who lost by two points (51-49) to Delta Sunday will battle AHIP of Kano in the second game Monday to keep hope of making appreciable impact alive.

By Seinde Ikuesan

Kenya 's International players in the Sultanate of Oman , Nelson Njau and David Mugoye bagged awards as the curtain came down in the Oman Basketball Association League. Nelson Njau who plays for Muscat Club which won the Bronze Medal was named the Best Point Guard, while David Mugoye of Winners Nizwa Club bagged the Best Pivot Award in the May 21st Final.

Nizwa Club's domination in basketball continued as the defending champions extended their reign over the Oman Basketball Association League title with a fighting win over arch rivals Seeb Club.
In the final played yesterday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, Nizwa did survive some anxious moments before carving out a good 61-55 win.

This was Nizwa's fourth basketball crown on the trot having won the title in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Nizwa was also well prepared for the tournament having hosted and taken part in the AGCC Clubs Championship last month. On the contrary Seeb Club opted out of the AGCC tournament, but looked in good form throughout the lead. However, Seeb's effort was not that strong enough to stop Nizwa Club in their tracks as the champion side held the advantage right from the start. The first quarter was keenly contested, but two crucial points helped Nizwa hold the upper hand at 18-16. The two-point cushion was further enhanced when Nizwa took the second quarter at 15-12 for a 33-28 scoreline at the half-time break.

The lemon break appeared to have induced a sense of complacency in the Nizwa ranks as Seeb played better to win the third quarter and close the gap. Seeb won the period at 15-12 for an overall tally of 45-43 in favour of Nizwa.
It could have been anybody's game in the final session, but Nizwa continued to hold the advantage and the 16-12 scoreline helped the defending champions to a 61-55 verdict.
Rashad Al Hinai, the undersecretary at the Ministry of Sports Affairs, was the chief guest of the final, and he distributed the shield and medals.

Receiving the bronze medals were Muscat Club, whose Njau Nelson was adjudged the best point guard. Zaki Said of Seeb was declared the best winger, while Nizwa's David Ochieng Mugoye won the best pivot award. The best three-pointer award went to Nizwa's Ali Al Yarubi, while Salim Al Rawahi of Bausher Club took home the best administrator's trophy.
Al Ittifaq Club too had their share of awards as they won the fair play trophy.

Nairobi City Basketball Teams successfully defended their East Africa Inter-Cities Basketball Titles on Sunday after edging out their tough opponents at the Nyayo National gymnasium in Nairobi .

Nairobi City Team (Kenya) 86 vs. Kampala City Team (Uganda) 67

The Nairobi City Ladies team, led by national team players; Caroline “Majeng” Achieng, Eunice Ouma, Millicent Awuor, Hilda Luvandwa, Samba Mjomba and Angela Okoth, overcame a hard-fighting Kampala City Council side to register 86-67 win. The game tipped off to an explosive start, with the teams trading baskets at will, tying at 5-5, 8-8, and 12-12 before Joyce Makhungu made it 20-19 at the end of the first quarter. Nairobi team, backed by the home fans, came all fired up in the second quarter, with Luvandwa, Luchivya Angela and Mjomba Samba leading the onslaught as they extended the lead to 37-24 with 4 minute to the half. A never-say-die Kampala side replied through Agatha Bildawa and Becky Akullo who combined well to put the scores at 31-41 in Nairobi 's favour at the break. On resumption, Kampala dominated the game at all fronts and ends, with Nakiwu, Akullo and Bildawa leading the pack as they recovered to within a point (44-45) with 4:41 to go, before eventually taking over to lead 55-52 at the end of the quarter. The Kampala side maintained their offensive plays early in the final quarter, extending their lead to 57-52, prompting Nairobi city Coach: Thomas “Smatts” Olumbo to take a time-out. On resumption, the Nairobi side looked more alive and relaxed, as they ambushed Kampala City for a “Hostile-Takeover”, led by Luvandwa, Eunice Ouma, Joyce Makhungu and Caroline Majeng, to lead 70-59 with 3 minutes remaining. Both teams then traded baskets at both ends, with Flavia Oketcho leading the Kampala side, while Lulu and Majeng maintaining the Nairobi side's form. Emma Nyakweba sealed the victory for Nairobi after she sunk a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining for a 86-67 scoreline.

Caroline “Majeng” Achieng shot 24 points for Nairobi city, with Hilda Luvandwa adding 13 and Joyce Makhungu 13 points, while Becky Akullo led Kampala city with 17 points. Nairobi 's Caroline Achieng and Kampala Agatha Bildawa were named the Most Valuable Players.

Nairobi City Team (Kenya) 84 vs. Dar es Salaam City Team (Tanzania) 77

The Nairobi City men's team had to work-extra-Hard throughout the game before they registered a 84-77 win over Dar es Salaam City Team. Dar es Salaam were the first to draw blood, going up 4-0 early in the game after quick baskets by Gilbert Gatumbi and George Tarimo. Nairobi team settled down and recovered through Victor Odendo and Ancette Wafula to tie the game at 4-4, before combining again, this time with Dan Okwiri to lead 16-10, with 2 minutes to go, before Yoni Wanambiro made it 22-16 at the end of the quarter. Dar es Salaam came into the second quarter a rejuvenated side, pushing the home team to the limit, outscoring them 23-18 for a 40-39 scoreline at the break in Nairobi 's favour.

The third quarter was balanced, with both teams trading baskets at both ends, scoring 16 points a piece. Wafula sunk two back-to-back 3-pointers with Okwiri adding superb plays for Nairobi Team, while Dar replied through Gilbert Gatumbi and Jacob Marenga for a 56-55 score line at the end of the quarter after a late 3-pointer from Nairobi's Ben Oluoch. The final quarter saw Nairobi city Team come out a determined side, with Horace okumu, Ancette Wafula and Yoni Wanambiro putting up a combined effort to open a comfortable 80-69 lead, before Griffin Ligare made it 10-points lead (81-71) with 1:16 remaining on the clock. Wafula bagged 29 points for Nairobi , as Gilbert Gatumbi and George Tarimo replying for Dar es Salaam with 16 points each. Nairobi 's Yoni Wanambiro was named the Most Valuable Player-MVP

Info: alsaBasketball.com

By Hassan Abdul
Abuja

After the spectacular repeat of their performance during the first phase of the Zenith Bank female Division One league in Abuja two weeks ago in Asaba, First Bank Sports Club basketball team are already warming up to be crowned champions of the season without conceding a single defeat in the 21 match series.
They won all seven of their games in Abuja and have added a further seven from the Asaba phase.
"We are already champions as far we are concerned. To win all fourteen games is not easy. If you watched our performance in Abuja two weeks ago, I tell you that was nothing compared to what we played in Asaba last week.
"The girls are getting better as a team by the day because they understand each other more as they play more matches together and that means they are going to be more difficult to beat," Coach Adewumi Aderemi said.

They will be heading to Lagos with closest rivals, Dolphins, trailing with three loses. "Even though we do not expect any difficulty ahead of us, we will still play out best. The girls are all fired up now and it will be a very exciting final because we want to end with a record of not losing even one of our 21 matches. That will be the best statement of our quality that we can make," he added.

Sunshine Angels had compounded the woes of Dolphins - who were only one game behind First Bank in the Abuja - mid-way into the second phase with a 79 - 74 win that stunted their hopes of catching up with First Bank. They had needed to win all their matches while hoping that First Bank lose at least one game to give them some form of chance of contending for the crown.

The league will move to Lagos for the final phase next month and the defending champions are rearing to go already. Only one obstacle stands in the way of First Bank retaining their title: they will have to lose at least four games out of the remaining seven.

BEFORE the curtain went down on the finals of the 9th edition of the Africa Zone 5 Inter City Championships yesterday evening, many basketball fans in Nairobi, Kenya were wondering how a women's team could score higher than all their counterparts including men.
The Kampala City Council team came into the tournament as second best but mesmerized crowds with high scoring games including a century against Kisumu that preceded another astounding 96-46 drubbing of Dar es Salaam.

In the opening game, Kampala broke down home side Nairobi's tight defense to register a 77-64 win, an equally high score and wrapped up the preliminaries with a 72-66 victory over Nairobi Combined.

In the semi-finals on Friday, Kampala met the same combined side and hit them 83-66.

In total excluding the finals, the Kampala team has scored 421 points. Kampala's Frances Nabulobi, who turns out for Lady Bucks in the local league, is topping the scorers' charts with 113 points from five games including a record 16 three-pointers while Hadijja Kiiza has established herself as the 'minister of defence'.

Semi final results

Women
Kampala 82 N' Combined 66
Nairobi A 86 Dar 46

Road to final
Kampala 7 1 Nairobi 64
Kampala 96 Dar 46
Kampala 100 Kisumu 37
Kampala 72 N.Combined 66

By Dann O’were

Defending champions, Nairobi women, romped into the finals of the East and Central Africa Inter-Cities basketball championship.
They blanked Dar es Salaam 86-46 in the semi-finals at Nyayo National Stadium. Finalists last year, Dar es Salaam men, squeezed a narrow 69-63 win over Nairobi Universities Select side to sail to the semis.
Kampala women made it to the final when they beat Nairobi Universities Select side 82-66.
Kampala will meet Nairobi women in a repeat of last year final held at Lugogo Stadium, Kampala.
Kampala who shocked Nairobi 71-64 in their preliminary round meeting will contend with the speed of Angela Luchivya, who missed the opener as she was away in South Africa.

Nairobi...86 Dar.....46

Nairobi raced early to 25-6 in the first quarter and were up 47-24 at the break as Dar failed to offer a challenge.
In the third quarter, the losers moved closer 11-14, but were wrecked 25-11 as Nairobi took charge. Caroline Achieng led the way with 16 points, Angela Okoth made 14 and Hilda Luvandwa posted 13.

Varsities......63 Dar........69

Hot shooting Abel Nson’s accurate three-pointers saw Nairobi Universities Select side race to a 16-point lead before going down 63-69 to Dar.
Dar did well to cut the advantage and only trailed to 37-42 at the breather. After resumption, Nson and team-mates ran out of shooting space.

The regular season of the 3rd Lagos City league came to a close Friday at the Sports Hall of the Lagos National Stadium, Surulere with defending champion, Kennys' Bullets picking the fourth slot ahead of former Nigeria premier league champion, Islanders and Police Bombers basketball clubs.

All three finished the keenly contested regular season with 37 points from 22 matches with the Oladamoye Oyesiku's Bullets placing fourth on technical ground as it defeated Islanders twice (58-56_ and (87-81) while scoring an even with the Mark Balogun tutored Bombers (77-74) and (44-50), but Islanders gained the upper hand over the Police team beating them twice (57-53); (67-64) which gave the young Bullets team coached by former Ebun Comets and Nigeria senior national team, D'Tigers point guard, Ogoh Odaudu the edge.
Union Bank, however, topped the table with 43 points having lost only one game in the 22 games regulagar season, Dodan warriors maintained its second spot despite losing it last two games to Islanders (64-61) and Police Bombers (70-60) OT, Ebun Comets finished in the third position with 39 points while Islanders and the Bombers placed fifth and sixth respectively.

New comer, Chariot basketball club placed seventh with 34 points as it record 12-for-10, young Warriors Academy edged Whales to finish as the eighth best team of the league on superior goals difference and on technical ground having defeated the Whales twice, Sea Rovers, Raptors and the Warriors Kadets occupied the 10th, 11th and 12th position.

Results:
Warriors Academy 44-39 Whales
Kennys' Bullets 48-42 Sea Rovers
Ebun Comets 20-0 Kadets (W/O)
Kennys' Bullets 56-52 Warriors Academy
Whales 60-48 Sea rovers
Chariot 20-0 Kadets (W/O)
Ebun Comets 70-37 Raptors
Union Bank 80-70 Police Bombers
Islanders 64-61 Dodan Warriors
Chariot 64-43 Raptors
Police Bombers 70-60 Dodan Warriors OT
Union Bank 71-65 Islanders

By Seinde Ikuesan

Caxton Apollo and Richard Mwangi
Nairobi

Champions Nairobi started their East and Central Africa Inter-Cities men's basketball championship ton a high note with a 77-35 win over Mwanza at Nyayo Stadium on Wednesday night.

Nairobi

Nairobi City's Carolyne Achieng grabs a rebound ahead of Kampala City Council's Linda Tamale (in yellow) during their East and Central Africa Inter-Cities basketball championships match at the Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday.

women, however, found the going tough when they went down 71-64 to Kampala City Council.

Nairobi men have won the championship six times. International Ancette Wafula set the ball rolling for Nairobi with two well executed three-pointers. Yoni Wanambiro also sink two baskets as Nairobi went up 10-0.

Coach Gitau Waringo of Nairobi paraded his top cream - Wanambiro, Wafula, Moses Shida, Dan Okwiri and Lewis Muya. It took Mwanza five minutes before Francis Shilinde's name went down on the score sheet. Kizito Bahati, who was ejected in the last quarter, fired a three-pointer but Mwanza still trailed 16-6.

Nairobi led 23-10 in the first quarter. Guard Dan Okwiri and Wanambiro were rested for Ben Oluoch and Patrick Kirui as Nairobi led 42-24 at half-time.

Double figures

Nairobi then led 17-4 and 18-7 in the third and fourth quarters. Wafula shot 16 points, Wanambiro hit 12 and team-mate Muya 10 for Nairobi. None of the Mwanza players scored in double figures with Bahati replying with nine points.

In the women's match, KCC Leopards' Balidawa Agatha top scored with 24 points while Akullo Berry had 14 points.

Nairobi's highest scorers were Hilela Luvadwa with 17 while Joyce Makhunga had 10 points.

KCC

Leopards led 33-22 at half time. Nairobi levelled 38-38 in the third quarter. However, Kampala had a last laugh as they took the fourth quarter, 41-38. Arusha lost 87-28 by Nairobi Universities Combined.

However, the varsities women's team lost 61-54 to Dar es Salaam.

Dar es Salaam led 19-16 in the first quarter and 27-26 at half time. The third quarter saw Dar lead by 11 points. The varsities team lead 19-16 in the last quarter but still lost the match. Lucy Otieno was Varsities highest scorer with 16 points followed by Everlyne Nora with 14.

Wallidan male basketball team will today leave Banjul for Dakar where they will take part in a friendly international basketball tournament organised by their counterparts in Senegal.

Teams from France, Mauritania and other parts of the sub-region are expected to participate in the championship which is scheduled from May 25 to May 28, 2008.
Both Wallidan basketball teams (male and female) have been at the helm of the Gambia basketball league since its inception five seasons back.
The indomitable sides were gallant winners of all the three titles (super cup, league and knock-out titles) staged by the Gambia Basketball Association this season.

Kadiogo Bulls # AS-Sonabhy (Bulls: on the way to be the best team?)
What a match!
AS-Sonabhy has the best offence and Kadiogo Bulls the best defence! It was sure that we'll have a big match!
Two different defences: zone 2-1-2 for the petroliers and individual for the bulls; the ball moved very fast from one defence to another! The bulls are very strong with Mamadou Sawadogo (-C) and Isaac Palenfo (-C) in the restricted area! Coach DAH decided to speed up the game! He was right! The first team to break was the bulls! With a zone defence 2-1-2, the center Mamadou Sawadogo had difficult to get the ball; with Aboubacar Sara (-F) (PG), Cyrille Tapsoba (-F) (PG), Hamed FABRE (G) and Assane SAWADOGO (G), the option to move faster and have one on one position make AS-Sonabhy win the third quarter (14-24)! The fourth quarter awaked the bulls; they decided to press very high and gave 8-0 in two minutes with 2 three points for Cedric CONOMBO (SG, BULLS)! Some wrong substitutions by coach DAH gave chance to the bulls to come back and winthe match; what a pity! The final score: 66-59 for the bulls; best scorer is Isaac Palenfo (Bulls, 16 points)! The come back of the international player Achille BARRY (F, Bulls, 15 pts), gave many options to the coach Aboubacar DABIRE! This player with experience showed that he can always do the difference when needed!
Isaac Palenfo is the best scorer

AS-Sonabel # Celtics
After two defeats, the electricians have to stop this bad series! They did it! Face to a small team of Celtics, the players of Coach Achille COULIDIATY showed to everybody that they can be better! Fast breaks, “give and go“ were their way to score! Norbert PARKOUDA (PG) the master of ceremony, Hermann BELEMLILGA (F), and Ibrahim OUEDRAOGO were the players who did the difference! It's not the big team of electricians from 1997 to 2004, but after loosing a starting five, it's hard for a team to come back in 2 years!
This team needs a leader! Hermann BELEMLILGA is the best who can do it; if he wants…
Final score: 59-37 for AS-Sonabel. Best scorer: Mamadou SIMPORE (PG, Celtic) 15 points

- RCK # Faso Warriors
No many things to tell on this match; the falcons face to a small team, had a nice afternoon! But the show was for warriors and three players: Abel BAKYONO, Hermann SANOU and They are young and good players! Abel is the best player of warriors! This player of national U20 team proved that in few years, he will be one of our best players! He jumps very high, is not so bad in shooting drills and plays rebounds very well. His fakes and dribbles make him a danger for all defences!
Final score: 90-42 for RCK. Best scorer: Losseni DRABO (C, RCK) 28 points!

After a day of tears following the surprise defeat Dolphins ladies suffered in the hands of Sunshine Angels on Monday, the Dolphins player have continued to hit their opponents hard and high with the 100 mark as seemingly set target.
In the third match of the Zenith Bank Female League played in Asaba yesterday, Dolphins defeated Customs 100-75 following the Tuesdayís 114-69 mauling of AHIP ladies. The results have kept Dolphins still in the second position on the table behind First Bank who took the lead from the first circuit that ended in the Abuja a fortnight ago.
Before that match, Sunshine defeated AHIP 70-61 as the Akure based ladies battle to upstage the Customs team from the top four bracket. The match between First Bank and Dodan Amazons ended 65-54 in favour of the Bankers whose firm grip of the top position has clearly been tested in Asaba.
Today the AHIP ladies have the chance to celebrate if they able to shock the Amazons who defeated them in Abuja as both teams playing the opening match. The game appears quite opening for the taking although the pundits give the game to the Amazons. The next game at 2.00pm is between Immigration and Sunshine with the latter as clear favourites. The Nigeria Immigration ladies hold the unenviable record as the only team yet to win a game in the league. The star match is the third one between first placed First Bank and Dolphins who are second on the table. The match has become quite difficult to predict following the pattern of results from Asaba since the championship began last Friday. Whichever direction the result goes, it is expected to produce a lot of highlights and quality performance. The final game is that involving the Customs and Delta Force who are playing before the home fans. A win for the Customs will pass as an upset under the current dispensation.
The second circuit rounds off in Asaba this after as the teams prepare for the trip to Lagos for the final stage. The teams are expected to travel straight to Lagos from Asaba with championship starting Sunday at the Sports Hall of the National Stadium.

Rwanda’s basketball idol Hamza Ruhezamihigo is set to undergo a series of professional trials in Boston, next month, in a move that could have the player relocate from Canada to the USA.
Offices at the Rwanda Basketball Federation (Ferwaba) revealed that the 22-year-old, who has been playing college basketball at Morgantown, Canada, would undergo trials starting on June 15.

The planned trials may have Ruhezamihigo joining the NCAA, - National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball league, the second most popular league in the world after NBA.
Ferwaba’s technical advisor Innocent Karuhije disclosed that Ruheza had revealed that the trials were likely to delay his arrival for national team duty for over three weeks.
The shooting guard gathered enough personal support from the home fans after a splendid display during this year’s Zone V Basketball Championships at Amahoro indoor stadium, Kigali in February.
Ruhezamihigo scooped the event’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) an award he vowed to treasure for the rest of his life.After the trials, he will be expected to join the national basketball team that officially starts intensive drills on June 5.
“He will join the squad later but we are sure he will come once he is done with his trials,” Ferwaba’s technical advisor Innocent Karuhije.Besides Ruhezamihigo, four other foreign based Rwandans are expected to beef up the squad.

The quadruple are expected to come from Canada, USA, South Africa and England.

MONT FLEURI tried to keep it close but they couldn’t. On Tuesday at Victoria Gymnasium, the Mont Fleurians learned that it could be a tough season for them when they were beaten 80-40 by Anse Etoile Stars who made a brilliant start to their women’s league title defence.

Third place finishers behind winners Sotrata of Madagascar and runners-up Basket-ball Club Dionysien (BCD) of Reunion in the recent Indian Ocean Club Championship (IOCC) held in Reunion, the Stars always looked in cruising mode as they won all four quarters – 17-6, 23-19, 19-9 and 21-6.

Forced to leave the court with a little less than three minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter because of cramps, experienced centre Simone Malbrook led a quadruplet of Stars in double. She led all scores with 19 points and was helped on the offensive board by Lucia Souffe (17 points), playmaker Lindy Mathiot (16 points, including four 3-points three of which came in the fourth quarter) and skipper Simone Asba (13 points including three treys).

In fact, except for Priscilla Devasin, all the players coach Malbrook used for the match got their names on the score-sheet as the Stars collected their first two points of the season in their very first mach.

Without a coach on their bench and badly in need of one to set the tone for them, Mont Fleuri relied on centre Lindy Aglaé and veteran Williana Dubois for scoring. Formerly with Bel Air, Aglaé got 14 points, while Dubois made an 11-point contribution.

Dubois, who remains one of the fittest female players here and boasts a never-say-die attitude, deserves a call-up to the country’s pre-selection despite being 39 years old.

Tuesday’s defeat being their second after they lost 49-59 to Anse Boileau-based HotShots, Mont Fleuri, who have two wins and two losses to amass six points out of a possible eight, know that they need to patch things together and start winning against the title pretenders if they want to challenge for the most coveted crown.

As early frontrunners HotShots who already have three wins in as many outings, they look to make a claim on the league title after winning the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup last year and the Curtain-raiser title at the start of the year.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Men’s division 1A defending champions Premium Cobras reached the century mark as they swept past Cascade Bullets on a 117-37 score to shoot to the top of the eight-team standings with a maximum four points after two matches played.

Runners-up to Madagascar’s MBC Sebam at the recent IOCC in Reunion, the Cobras had James Beier and Lenny ‘Bad’ Aglaé combining for 68 points as they won the four quarters 35-4, 24-17, 24-12 and 34-4.

In fact, PLS Hawks and MBU Rockers are also unbeaten after two matches played but they trail the champions by virtue of an inferior basket difference.

G. G.

Raiderz men continue to enjoy life at the top of the log standings, as the Harare Basketball League enter its week 22 today. They won 17 matches and los only 2, to amass a total of 36points from their 19 games. Jewels Basketball Club are at second place with 36points while Varsity Leopards men, tag along with 34points. Kingdom Cavaliers are three points behind the top team, standing a chance to improve their position with a game in hand. Cavaliers lost once, throwing away a match when they recorded a forfeit.
Meanwhile, Mbare bulls and South Central share life together at the bottom of the log standings with 20 points apiece.

Petro de Luanda beat 1º de Agosto on Tuesday in Luanda, in a game for the second round of the senior male national basketball championship, thus standing two victories to conquer the title.

With two rounds left to finish the competition, Petro are closer to retaining the trophy. They only need to win the next two games, namely against Interclube and ASA.
Tuesday's clash was quite balanced with the two teams showing their determination to win the game.
Petro de Luanda, however, used well their current good form moment, as well as the high spirits for having beaten their opponent in the final of the Angolan Cup League, winning that competition.

In the last few seconds of the game the score was a draw, but to Petro's luck, the American centre, Frederick Gentry, was fouled, getting two free throws, one of which was a score, giving the sweated victory to Petro.

1º de Agosto even attempted to score in the last two seconds, in a desperate attack that did not work.
Petro's athletes celebrated their 84/83 win - the fifth in a row - over their old rivals, probably with the certainty that this championship's trophy was on its way to the club's headquarters as well.
With this victory Petro de Luanda lead the competition with 12 points, followed by 1º de Agosto with 09.

Roster
Fadzai Mabasa, Alexandra Maseko, Regina Chisale, Gladys Phiri, Helena Nyagato, Vimbai Muhoma, Alice Tapiwa Mandivheyi, Isobel Tengende, Juliet Misihairambwi, Sibongile Mkandla, Charity Mucucuti, Margaret Magwaro. Manager - Addison Chiware.
Head coach - Ngoni Mukukula.

By Dann O’were

Nairobi B side take on Arusha in the first match of the East and Central African Inter-cities basketball championships on Wednesday.

The tournament tips off at the Nyayo National Stadium court, Nairobi, at 2.30pm.

Champions Nairobi A then face Mwanza in the second match of the day, according to draws held on Tuesday. Kampala women, Mwanza and Arusha were the first teams to arrive in the Kenyan capital for the region’s local governments’ basketball tournament.
Dar es Saalam were expected to arrive last evening for the five-day show that will be played at the Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium. The opening match is at 2 pm.
According to Inter-cities tournament secretary, Ronny Owino, Nairobi will enter another team that will consist of players from the university teams and a combined select side from the city’s clubs.

Last year’s hosts Kampala brought only the women, while Mwanza, who thought the tournament was starting on Tuesday, have brought the men’s side.
Kampala team manager Joy Oling’a said they have an experienced team and were all looking forward to the show. Kampala lost 62-57 to Nairobi in last year’s finals.
Mwanza, beaten 42-81 by Nairobi in 2006 semi-finals, have virtually the same team and coach Robert Mwita.

"These players have played together for years. I have only two new players," said Owino
Owino said that Mombasa team confirmed they would not be coming after all. He said it was not clear whether Kisumu would bring a team.

Defending champions Nairobi wound up their training on Tuesday and were all set for the show. Despite only a few sessions of training, the players promised to play well.
The women’s side is the same national team that has been in training for the All Africa Games slated for Algiers, Algeria in July. They have high hopes to winning the title.
Owino, who is also the Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) chairman asked fans to come in large numbers to cheer Nairobi teams.

In a move aimed at competing well in the final leg of the 2007 Zenith Bank Premier League, one of the Elite Eight clubs has recruited two overseas-based Nigerian players.
Amazons of Lagos has confirmed that swingman MacTaben Amachree and Rasheedat Sadiq will line up for the outfit when the third and final leg of the Premier League tips off in Lagos on Sunday.
"The move is to ensure that we survive in the Premier League," Sam Ahmedu, the proprietor of the Amazons said in Asaba on Monday. "This will also bring fun to the League."
In a telephone interview from her base in the United States, Amachree, a Nigeria international, said she was moved to come and play in the League because of Ahmedu.
"He's like a father to me," Amachree said, "whenever he calls, I'll answer.
"My presence on the court will lift the Amazons and make them stay up in the top flight."
Amachree is scheduled to arrive on Friday, two days to the tip off the seven-day series holding in the indoor sports hall of the National Stadium.
However, some of the clubs in the top flight have told the Nigeria Basketball Federation to postpone the final leg of the League.
"There will be only a day of rest between Asaba (the Asaba leg ends on Thursday) and the Lagos phase, which is too strenuous," Wale Aboderin, the proprietor of Dolphins said in Asaba.
NBBF board member, Vivian Eze said the organisation was considering shifting the competition by a few days.

Many of the clubs claim the political situation in the country should be watched closely so that their wards will not be trapped in case of mayhem.
First Bank still leads the table after Monday's matches. The Elephant Girls were stretched by home team, Delta Force on Monday after power problems delayed the match for more than one hour. First Bank won 77-70.
This has made the organisers to move the first match of the day to 10am, instead of the usual 12pm tip off.

Players of Dolphins basketball club broke down in tears after they lost a closely contested game 89-84 to the Sunshine Angels basketball club of Akure on day four of the 2007 Zenith Bank League in Asaba on Monday.

Dolphins tied the game at 81-81, but defensive frailties cost the Wale Aboderin girls the game down the stretch.
Offensively, Dolphins started losing the cause in the third quarter, missing foul shots and failing to bury their long-range jumpers.
Although the Angels ran into foul problems in the fourth quarter, Dolphins was not able to capitalise on this from the foul line.
"I had to protect my girls," said Aboderin. "The referees were not doing their job properly and allowed the Angels players to knock down my players at will.

This demoralised them and made them to miss easy shots on the foul line."

The coach of the Angels, Andrew Isokpehi, said they prepared very well for the game.

"We have been watching their games since the beginning of the competition and we saw their weak points and instructed the players to capitalise on them," said the former Ebun Comets handler.

"The players played to instruction and that gave us the victory.

"I think Dolphins played well but they came into the game over confident. That really affected them."

Both managers saluted the quality of the game, held in the indoor hall of the Delta State Sports Council.

The crowd cheered endlessly for both teams in the game, which saw the duo exchanging the lead up to six times starting from late in the third quarter.

The Angels first caught up with Doplhins at 58-58 with seconds left, but Dolphins stormed back to lead by two points.

The Angels refused to go away and combination guard Rach Amadi buried a game-tying shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter 60-60.

Three matches are still on the bill for the day-four of the second leg of the 3rd Zenith Bank female premier League holding at the Indoor Sports of the Asaba Township Stadium with two Savannah conference teams Immigration taking on AHIP, Amazons will attempt to record an upset against Customs while defending champions, First Bank Elephant Girls will take to the court against the home team Delta Force in what look like the star-match of the day.

Four matches will be decided Tuesday in the round-robin format of the league with AHIP testing the night of wounded Dolphins basketball club, Scott Nnaji will file out his girls against First Bank, Delta Force will bank on home support to rattle Sunshine Angels while Amazons will want to repeat its superiority over Immigration as both side engage each other in a survival battle.

Friday Results:
1. Dolphins 93-68 Immigration
2. First Bank 91-37 AHIP
3. Customs 67-58 Sunshine Angels
4. Delta Force 63-53 Amazons
5. Saturday Results:
6. Customs 58-41 AHIP
7. First Bank 93-44 Immgration
8. Sunshine 64-58 Amazons
9. Dolphins 90-82 Delta Force

Sunday Results:
1. Customs 79-64 Immigration
2. Dolphins 103-78 Amazons
3. First Bank 82-58 Sunshine Angels
4. Delta Force 96-51 AHIP

By: Olusegun Ikuesan

AFTER spending 16 months away from the court, Cyril Agrippine re-appeared as rocker to steer his new team to a 78-39 victory over SMB Razorbacks on Sunday at Victoria Gymnasium.

Barely two weeks after starting training with MBU Rockers, the ex-Premium Cobras and Seychelles swingman is already a favourite with the team and coach Alvin Alcindor had no problems inserting him in the starting five. Agrippine finished as the match’s top scorer with 19 points, including four treys.

MBU Rockers started the match on a very high tempo and they took an early 16-6 lead. Their well-coordinated zonal defence caused a lot of problems to SMB Razorbacks whose defence was disorganised.

Even after a time-out by coach Pascal Fostel, SMB Razorbacks could not put their game together as the Rockers won the first quarter 22-8.

In the second quarter, matters got worse for SMB Razorbacks as they scored only eight points compared to 21 for Rockers who went for the break with a 43-16 lead.

With such a big lead, MBU Rockers’ coach Alcindor gave his bench players some playing time and they added to the Razors’ misery, widening the gap from 27 points to 32 at the end of the third quarter – 59-27.

In the fourth and final quarter, SMB Razorbacks managed to score 12 points whilst MBU Rockers added 19 to conclude the match on a 78-39 score.

According to MBU Rockers’ veteran power forward Gonzague ‘Loupi’ Agrippine, the arrival of Cyril Agrippine has been a boost to the squad.

“Cyril is an all-rounder and he can help in every department of the game. He is an experienced player who can help the younger members of the team. He is also always aware of what is going on around him and what needs to be done to carry the team to victory,” explained ‘Loupi’.

“Performance-wise, Cyril has been training with us for only two weeks and has adapted quite well to our plays and I think that with more time he will perform better,” he added.
In the other Men’s division 1A match played last Saturday, PLS Hawks defeated Cascade Bullets 91-53.

Centre Rodney Lozé had the hot hands for the Hawks with 25 points whilst Kenny Barbé was the Bullets’ top scorer with 19 points.
In the Women’s league, HotShots trounced inexperienced Cadettes 109-4. Forward Myra Solin led HotShots in scoring with 40 points.

R. D.

Results of other matches played recently
Women’s League
Mont Fleuri 45 RA Sisters 32
Juniors 63 Cadettes 18
Hot Shots 59 Mont Fleuri 49
Bel Air 45 Juniors 36

Men’s division 1A
Angels 91 Pointe Larue Falcons 83

Men’s division 1B
RC Dynamics 64 Bel Air Blazers 42
Juniors 53 Beau Vallon Heat 49
Praslin Warriors 61 Anse Etoile 50
Anse Etoile 59 RC Dynamics 49
RC Dynamics 62 Juniors 56

Men’s division 2
Mont Fleuri Dawgz 85 Baie St Anne Dawgz 54
Fire Brigade 45 West Coast Kings 35
AAP Brothers 53 West Coast Kings 50
Fire Brigade 56 LMS Youth 54
RA Herons 62 AAP Brothers 59

By Dann O’were

United States International University (Usiu) shocked Kenya Commercial Bank Lions 57-52 in a tough Premier League tie at Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium.

Lions, who have lost one match to Co-op, had little to offer as Dan Okwirri, Papilon Odhiambo and Djibril Oudraogou had other ideas.

The students led 29-28 at half time, but trailed 42-45 as the start of the last quarter. When international Okwirri started to exert pressure, Lions faltered as Oudraogou nailed 20 points while Okwirri shot 14.

For a bewildered Lions side that missed coach Francis Ngunjiri, Tobias Onyango made 16 and ex-USIU player Yoni Wanambiro added 12.

Terrorists 77

Strathmore 54

Brothers Eugene and Rodney Genga were all fire guiding University of Nairobi Terrorists to a humiliating 77-54 of Strathmore University.

International Eugene led the way with career high 26 points while the younger sibling Rodney provided 17 and Brain Busu 13. The losers had 18 from Paul Nyakinda.

USIU 75

Dynamites 23

USIU women whitewashed UoN Dynamites 75-23 as national team players Samba Mjomba scored 20 points and Angela Okoyth hit 12. Sarah Chan had another 18.

Jkuat 61

Lomboritz 55

Mike Opinya scored 25 points to lead Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Jkuat) to a 61-55 win over Lomboritz who had Mike Opel sinking 13.

In the Sasanet Nairobi Basketball Association league matches at Railways Club, Team Jam beat Old Pirates 56-45 behind Billy Ongute’s 12 points. Tony Ochieng shot 13 for Old Pirates.

Kenya College of Accountancy posted their first win after beating Mighty Hawks 49-43 while Victor Okello made 16 points as did the losers’ John Ndaka.

The women’s only tie saw Mennonites whip Africa Nazarene University (ANU) 45-24. Lynette Atieno managed 20 points while Anne Wanjugu and Sheilla Kimatnbhi combined for ANU’s 12.

UCU’s Mbone (right) drives past Sparks’ star Mulwana

By Gloria Kyomugisha

Men
Warriors 62 K. Riders 42
K. Lions 81 Najja 45
Women
UCU 58 M.Sparks 45
C. High 56 Nabisunsa 53
M. Cubs 52 V. Lakers 34
Tomorrow
EA Inter-Cities tournament
KCC v N. Combined

WARRIORS eased to a 62-42 victory over Knight Riders to move to sixth position in the National Basketball league on Sunday.

Warriors rallied behind Steven Okias’ 18 points to overturn an 8-point first quarter deficit for a victory that moved them from seventh place.

The winners shot three 3-point shots and picked 16 defensive rebounds in building a 20 point lead through three quarters.
Warriors had a 36-12 edge in rebounds and went 9-for-12 shots at the foul line, including six in a row in the third and fourth quarters, to seal the win.

Meanwhile, UCU Ladies moved to the top of the women’s event with a 58-45 victory over MUK-Sparks at the YMCA.
Elsewhere, KCC ladies are in Nairobi for the East African Inter-Cities event.

By JOYMARIA MAVURA and MILLY SANGA

THE Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) has announced players forming the Dar es Salaam 'Dream Team' for the East African Inter-City Games, which start in Nairobi today.
TBF's General Secretary Lawrence Cheyo said yesterday that the team would leave today and that the games will end on 27 May.

He named the players and their positions as Ashraf Harun (JKT), Mohamed Yusuph (Savio) and Mohamed Mbwana (Chang'ombe Boys), who are Points Guards.
Shooting Guards are Jacob Marenga and Mohamed Ally (both from Vijana), the Small Forwarders are George Tarimo (Savio) and Edmund Pastory (Mgulani), he said

He added that the forwards are Alphonce Maboko (Pazi) and Oboto Mwambongo (Vijana) and Tumsifu Apolo (JKT), Gilbert Batungi (ABC) and Alex George (Tanzania Prisons) will dominate centres.

"The team is trained by two coaches - Bahati Mgunda and Tubert Matiku," he said
Meanwhile, TBF president Richard Kasesela has said that the NCCA basketball team is expected to visit Tanzania soon.

Young Life Trust of Tanzania and Young Life Trust of America have sponsored the NCCA team to come and play and motivate the youth of Tanzania.
Kasesela also said that through NCCA, Hasheem Thabit got a full sponsorship to go to the US.

He urged the Tanzanian youths to follow Hasheem's example by showing their skills since TBF was co-operating with various regional leaders to scout for people with good basketball skills and introduce them to the programme.

"Education goes hand in hand with basketball so people should not expect full sponsorship without having the spirit to study," he added.

US based 7.3 ft basketballer Hasheem Thabeet with the Secretary General of the Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) Lawrence Cheyo (centre) with his first ever coach Henry Mwinuka of Savio BC after the press conference today in Dar es salaam (Photo by Muhidin Michuzi)

The Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) has announced names of the players who will form the Dar es Salaam combined (‘Dream Team’) to participate in the inter city games in Nairobi.

TBF’s General Secretary Lawerence Cheyo said yesterday that the team would leave today and that games would also begin on the same day, ending on 27 May, this month.

He named the players and their positions as Ashraf Harun (JKT), Mohamed Yusuph (Savio), and Mohamed Mbwana (Chang’ombe boys), who are Points Guards.

Shooting guards are Jacob Marenga and Mohamed Ally (both from Vijana), the small forwarders are George Tarimo (Savio) and Edmund Pastory (Mgulani), he said

He also added that the forwards are Alphonce Maboko (Pazi) and Oboto Mwambongo (Vijana) and Tumsifu Apolo (JKT), Gilbert Batungi (ABC) and Alex George (TZ Prisons) will dominate centers.

“The team is composed of two coaches who are Bahati Mgunda and Tubert Matiku,” he said

Meanwhile the president of TBF, Richard Kasesela, said today that the NCCA basketball team is expected to arrive in Tanzania soon.

The Young Life Trust of Tanzania and Young Life Trust of America have sponsored the NCCA team to come and play as well as motivate the youth of Tanzania.

Kasesela also said that it was through NCCA that Hasheem Thabit was able to obtain a full sponsorship to go to the U.S.

He urged the youth of Tanzania to emulate Hasheem’s example by showing their skills as TBF is cooperating with various regional leaders to scout people with good basketball qualification and introduce them to the program.

“Education goes hand in hand with basketball so people should not expect full sponsorship without having the spirit to study,” he added.

With two matches left in the regular season of the Lagos City league the race for a place in the playoffs became keener at the weekend as league leader, Union Bank basketball club pounded hard fighting Dodan Warriors basketball club by 76-58 points.

The Stallion Boys as the Bode-Thomas based banker are known enter the court Sunday with a 91-87 points advantage over the Owoicho Alexander tutored Warriors but showed class with barrages of three points shots from former Junior Tigers captain, Sola Alayande, Azuoma Dike with youthful Daniel Iremiren providing five-star performance at the paint which trigger a call for his inclusion to the open camp of the junior national team who are preparing for the FIBA World U19 Championship in Novi Sad, Serbia, Summer this year.

Young Daniel became the saving grace for Union Bank in the absence of center, Mohammed Awal Zanna as he combine the duty of a power forward and center into one, picking up relevant rebounds for his side.

The lose leaves Warriors in the second spot with its last two games against old client Islanders and hard core Police Bombers basketball club come Thursday and Friday this week.

In other matches decided Sunday Ebun Comets basketball club anchored by Dennis Ebikoro decision Chariot basketball club 74-69 points in a thrilling encounter to stay put in the third position of the twelve-team league.

City league move games for NBBF Zenith league

The league committee of the Lagos City league has move matches initially fixed for this weekend to pave way for the final leg of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF Zenith Bank female premier league expected to jump-start on Sunday May 27 at the sports hall of the Lagos National stadium.

All the week-11 matches are affected and as the committee did not want a carry-over of games till after the Zenith premier and to allow teams who made it to the playoffs prepare well for the big occasion.

With the changes in date the regular season will now end on Friday as against the initially Sunday date.

Results of Mathces played last week

Wednesday:

Islanders 51-46 Warriors Academy

Sea Rovers 68-36 Kadets

Kennys' Bullets 62-40 Whales

Saturday:

Ebun Comets 59-53 Sea Rovers

Dodan Warriors 70-42 Raptors

Union Bank 64-39 Warriors Academy

Islanders 51-42 Whales

Kennys' Bullets 20-0 Kadets (W/O)

Police Bombers 56-50 Chariot

Sunday:

Ebun Comets 74-69 Chariot

Police Bombers 36-27 Raptors

Union Bank 74-58 Dodan Warriors

Tuesday Games: May 22, 2007
121. Whales Vs Warriors Academy 2:00 pm
122. Sea Rovers Vs Bullets 3:30 pm
123. Comets Vs Kadetts 5: 00 pm

Thursday May 24, 2007
124. Bullets Vs Warriors Academy 9:00 am
125. Sea Rovers Vs Whales 10: 30
126. Chariots Vs Kadetts Noon
127. Raptors Vs Comets 1:30 pm
128. Union Bank Vs Bombers 3:00 pm
129. Islanders Vs Dodan Warriors 4:30 pm

Friday May 25, 2007
130. Raptors Vs Chariots 2:00 pm
131. Dodan Warriors Vs Bombers 3:30 pm
132. Islanders Vs Union Bank 5:00 pm

By Seinde Ikuesan

By Renatha Msungu

Dar es Salaam basketball teams are expected to leave for Kenya today to compete in the East and Central Africa Inter-Cities Championships.

The ninth edition of the championship will be held in Nairobi between May 23 and 27 at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The Dar es Salaam Basketball (BD) Director, Mbaga Mwamboma, said only 24 players would leave by bus to the Kenya`s capital city.

Other teams which will compete in the event are hosts Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kampala, Mwanza and Jinja.

Nairobi, who won both the men and women titles in the 8th edition that was staged at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium in Kampala last year, will be defending the two titles.

Nairobi defeated Dar es Salaam 68-57 to lift the men`s title while their women compatriots edged out hosts Kampala City 62-57 to lift the women`s title during the last year`s event.

Dar es Salam and Kampala are Kenya`s most dreaded contenders in the two categories.

The University of Nairobi Basketball Teams , Dynamites (Ladies) and Terrorists (Men) registered mixed results over the weekend in the Kenya Basketball Federation-KBF Women's and Men's Premier League respectively.

UoN Dynamites were scorched 75-23 by United States International University-USIU Flames, who dominated the game from the tip-off. Kenya National Team guards, Samba Mjomba and Angela Okoth; who are in training for the All Africa Games this July in Algeria , led the Flames onslaught, while Irene Atieno and Rose Apondi fought back for the Dynamites.

UoN Terrorists on the other hand came all out, dominating the boards at both ends to win 77-54 against newcomers Strathmore University-Blades after good runs by Moses Kamau, Brian Busu, Eugene and Rodney Genga.

In the Division One League, Blazers basketball team upset Nairobi Pentecostal Church-NPC 73-57.

By Dann O’were

Co-operative Bank of Kenya thrashed Strathmore University 90-47 in a basketball Premier League tie at Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium.

The former four-time national champions were in total control of this one-sided match, taking a 26-7 second-quarter advantage en route to a comfortable 45-21 half time lead.

Both sides were locked 16-16 in the third quarter before the bankers bolted away 29-10 in the fourth quarter.

Rogers Mutahi led a balanced Co-op attack with 11 points. Cliff Ochieng, George Kamau, Musa Odari and Johnson Karonje each nailed 10.

Strathmore had 10 each from Paul Nyakinda and Ben Ogolla.

Storms......65 Yana.......55

Sprite Storms nailed Yana Milele 65-55 in an exciting women’s game. The match had a total of 17 three pointers with Yana connecting nine and storms eight. Hilda Luvandwa shot 23 points, Angela Luchivya 16 and Caroline Ouma 14. For Yana, Caroline Achieng posted 17 including five three pointers while Judith Akoth contributed 19.

In the lower division, Mennonites had 17 points from Joshua Vuva as they nipped Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology 66-57. Africa Nazarene University (ANU) compounded Langata Crusaders’ miseries with a 62-54 win as Edwin Ochieng scored 11 points. Langata’s Steve Okwako scored 16.

By Caxton Apollo
Nairobi

Kenya Commercial Bank Lions will take on USIU Tigers in one of the 10 basketball Premier League matches at Nairobi's Nyayo Stadium this weekend.

Tigers, who beat University of Nairobi's Terrorists 53-50 last weekend, will be meeting a side that poached their top players, shooting guard Abel Nson and forward Yoni Wanambiro this season.

The top match is scheduled for tomorrow at 4pm. Lions went down fighting 73-66 to Co-op Bank in their season opener but recovered to rock International Christian Centre 98-74. Coach Francis Ngunjiri will no doubt rely on guard Paul Oloo, Ikapian Juma and David Otiso to harvest Maximum points.

Tigers felt the loss of Wanambiro and Nson, leaving only veteran Dan Okwiri as their dependable star. The students will have Pappillion Odhiambo and Kennedy Lodiong in their battle to face the experienced KCB Lions, also are the East and Central Africa champions.

Today, Co-op Bank have an easy assignment against newcomers Strathmore University in a tie the bankers' coach Carey Oketch should not have any problems to win. Co-op Bank beat Terrorists 71-62 in their last match and Lewis Muya, Wycliffe Ochieng and Musa Odari are expected to be the main actors.

Strathmore, who are playing in the Premier League for the first time, pipped Java Warriors 57-56 and collecting two points from Co-op Bank are a hard nut to crack.

In top women's match, Sprite Storms, led by celebrated Anjella Luchivya and Hilda Luvandwa, have a date with coach John Chasimba's Yana. Ruth Wasike, Carol Achieng and Judith Akoth led Yana in a 79-61 win.

By ANDE BASHAIJA
Kampala

SCANDINAVIA Express Bus company has boosted the Kampala women's team traveling to Nairobi, Kenya for the Africa Zone 5 Basketball Championship with 10 return tickets.
The event gets underway tomorrow at Nyayo Stadium.

"We are taking all the 18 players as a result of Scandinavia's boost. Hopefully this will better our chances in the tournament since we have a bigger squad to select from," said the team manager Joy Olinga, after getting the confirmation from Scandinavia yesterday.

"Safinet has also promised to give us some package before we leave this morning," added Olinga. The team that has been in residential training since last Tuesday leaves at 7:30 a.m.

Kampala Deputy Mayor Florence Namayanja leads the contingent of 24 that also has Fiba referee Peter Kirabo.

Though the men's team has been withdrawn, Olinga believes the women will put up a good show against defending champions Nairobi, powerhouse Cairo, Mombasa, Kigali, Bujumbura, among others. Kampala lost to Nairobi in last year's championship held at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.

Squad: Sarah Nakibenge, Flavia Oketcho, Vicky Nassolo, Miriam Hamala (captain), Siima Monica (assistant captain), Carol Nantalo and Frances Nabulobi.

Others are Barbara Namukaya, Hadijja Kiiza, Sumine Natabazi, Dorothy Nakiryowa, Jane Ssentongo, Juliet Sabano, Linda Tamale, Agatha Baliddawa and Becky Akullo.
Coaches: Nimrod Kaboha and Mande Baker (assistant).

By Gloria Kyomugisha

Men
Miracle 64 KIU 58
Canons 50 M. Falcons 45
Marines 67 S. Power 66
Women
Chélenge 47 L. Bucks 36
Leopards 42 K. Rangers 36
M. Cubs 38 Nabisunsa 36

MIRACLE upset title favourities Kampala International University (KIU) 64-58 in the national basketball league at the YMCA court, Saturday.

But Miracle had to contend with the determined challenge of KIU to secure their third win in five matches. The defeat was KIU's first in five matches.

Ben Komakech was the day's hero with 21 points, including two last minute lay-ups, which gave the Rubaga-based Miracle the hard-earned victory.

By Bahati Mollel

Dar es Salaam City men and women basketball teams, The Dream teams, will on Tuesday leave for Nairobi, Kenya,to compete in the Intercities competition scheduled for the sameday.
The Dar es Salaam Basketball(BD)Executive Director, Mbaga Mwamboma,said the squad of 12 players each and some officials will travel to Nairobi by road.

Mwamboma said they were still scouting for money to facilitate their travel to Nairobi. The total amount of money budgeted for was 14m/- as some sponsors had expressed wish to contribute.
``We are still looking for the money, because our players and the officials accompanying them will need allowances, bus fares and what have you,`` said Mwamboma.
These teams have trained for almost one month at the Don Bosco and National Indoor Stadium, but have not done much of trial matches for the simple reason that most of the players have been picked from big teams in the city.

Meanwhile, The Mwanza city basketball association, will send only men team, the Rocky City, to the competition due to lack of women players.

by Pedro Gomes -
Regional Championship Sal Island provided by Kira Lopes FIRST ROUND Classification Place Clubs Games Wins Loss Points 1 PANTERA NEGRA 3 3 0 6 2 PREGUICA 3 1 2 4 3 SALENSE
Regional Championship Sal Island provided by Kira Lopes FIRST ROUND Classification Place Clubs Games Wins Loss Points 1 PANTERA NEGRA 3 3 0 6 2 PREGUICA 3 1 2 4 3 SALENSE 3 1 2 4 4 ACADEMICA/PRETORIA 3 1 2 4 TOP 10 SCORERS POS. PLAYERS CLUBS AVG. 1 WALDIR FERNANDES L. SANTOS PANTERA NEGRA 21.33 2 SIDNEY JORGE R. DUARTE SALENSE 17.00 3 ABDLAI ANDRADE FATY PANTERA NEGRA 16.33 4 PAULO SERGIO FORTES E. SANTO PANTERA NEGRA 14.67 5 ALDEVINO JORGE SOARES GOMES PANTERA NEGRA 14.00 6 DECIO PAULO PINTO BARBOSA SALENSE 11.67 7 FLAVIO ANTONIO RIBEIRO T. SILVA PREGUICA 11.33 8 LEONEL PREGUICA 9.33 9 ULISSANDRO DOS REIS ACADEMICA/PRETORIA 9.33 10 FAIO SANTOS JARDIM PREGUICA 9.00 Game Results Number Team Results Team 14 Salense 59 44 Academica/Pretoria 15 Pantera Negra 88 50 Preguica 16 Salense 52 102 Pantera Negra 17 Academica/Pret. 60 58 Preguica 18 Academica/Pret. 37 99 Pantera Negra 19 Preguica 46 43 Salense