18 December 2011
TANZANIA : Mbeya Ladies Sink Pemba to Lift Taifa Cup Title
MBEYA women basketball team emerged champions of this year's Taifa Cup Championship after beating Pemba 67-60 in a gripping final played at the Leaders Club venue in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.
Faraja Malaki (39 points) and Veronica Patrick (eight points) were instrumental in Mbeya's victory, although the side had to endure stiff opposition from Pemba throughout the four quarters of the duel.
Mbeya started the match impressively and went on to lead 23-10 in the first quarter but their opponents chalked a 20-15 lead in the second quarter to see the former manage a slim 38-30 lead at the breather.
Faraja, who was in fine form in the game, tormented Pemba guards and scored almost at will and the mercurial playmaker, who also turns out for Dar es Salaam's Jeshi Stars at the club level, enjoyed much support from Nipael Kessy in putting Pemba ladies at bay.
Pemba ladies came out much stronger on resumption and had Amina Ahmed and Sada Ahmed as their most potent weapons in their attempt to reduce the score margin and eventually turn tables on Mbeya.
Faraja and Nipael continued to forge a stunning teamwork spirit with the rest of their team mates to see their team take a 60-47 lead in the third quarter before Pemba began replying with a series of swift moves to score and reduce the margin.
Sada exhibited her three-point scoring skills to add points for her side and helped Pemba draw to within three points adrift of Mbeya midway through the fourth quarter.
The men's final, though, was mired in controversy, in which three outfits of Singida, Mwanza and Unguja entered the venue and claimed the right to play the match before Mwanza eventually exited the venue to give room for the other two sides to play the final.
Although Mwanza qualified for the final with a 74-62 victory over Unguja in the semi-final played at the same venue on Friday, the latter filed a protest to the Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) claiming Mwanza fielded two more players in their previous 12-man list in the tournament contrary to the rules of the event. Unguja won the protest and was given the right to play in the final.
Faraja Malaki (39 points) and Veronica Patrick (eight points) were instrumental in Mbeya's victory, although the side had to endure stiff opposition from Pemba throughout the four quarters of the duel.
Mbeya started the match impressively and went on to lead 23-10 in the first quarter but their opponents chalked a 20-15 lead in the second quarter to see the former manage a slim 38-30 lead at the breather.
Faraja, who was in fine form in the game, tormented Pemba guards and scored almost at will and the mercurial playmaker, who also turns out for Dar es Salaam's Jeshi Stars at the club level, enjoyed much support from Nipael Kessy in putting Pemba ladies at bay.
Pemba ladies came out much stronger on resumption and had Amina Ahmed and Sada Ahmed as their most potent weapons in their attempt to reduce the score margin and eventually turn tables on Mbeya.
Faraja and Nipael continued to forge a stunning teamwork spirit with the rest of their team mates to see their team take a 60-47 lead in the third quarter before Pemba began replying with a series of swift moves to score and reduce the margin.
Sada exhibited her three-point scoring skills to add points for her side and helped Pemba draw to within three points adrift of Mbeya midway through the fourth quarter.
The men's final, though, was mired in controversy, in which three outfits of Singida, Mwanza and Unguja entered the venue and claimed the right to play the match before Mwanza eventually exited the venue to give room for the other two sides to play the final.
Although Mwanza qualified for the final with a 74-62 victory over Unguja in the semi-final played at the same venue on Friday, the latter filed a protest to the Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) claiming Mwanza fielded two more players in their previous 12-man list in the tournament contrary to the rules of the event. Unguja won the protest and was given the right to play in the final.
# posted by afrbk : 15:20
