18 December 2011
TANZANIA : Mwanza Cruise Into Taifa Cup Basketball Final
MWANZA men's basketball team solidified their title chase in the Taifa Cup tournament after cruising to the final with a 74-62 victory over Unguja in a semi-final clash at the Leaders Club venue in Dar es Salaam on Friday.
Mwanza, which is one of strong favourites for the title, put solid performance against the Isles outfit and showed signs of emerging victors after commanding a 67-51 lead midway through the last quarter.
The winner's veteran player, Kizito Bahati, was delighted by the victory and told the 'Daily News' shortly after the match that his side is determined to go all the way and lift the trophy particularly after clearing the biggest of the hurdle, when it knocked rivals, Mbeya, out of the quarter-finals.
Mwanza's opponent in the final, which is expected to be played at the Leaders Club venue on Saturday, was to be determined in the Friday's second men's semi-final between Lindi and Singida, which was taking place at the same venue in the evening.
Mwanza, popularly known as the 'Rocky City Boys,' had previously qualified for the semi-finals with a 56-42 win over Mbeya in an entertaining quarter-final duel played at the Don Bosco venue earlier in the morning.
Juma Kisoky scored 18 points, Vincent Shinda had 16 points and Adam Jegame added six points to steer Mwanza to victory and stay on course for winning the title that has eluded them for the past few years.
Mbeya were no pushovers in the match and will be credited for showcasing a spirited performance to push their opponents throughout despite losing.
The team had an edge over Mwanza in the first quarter, in which the team's guards managed to put away most of their shots whenever they pushed forward and the former's game plan looked to have gone well until midway through the quarter, when Mwanza started taking command of the game.
Mwanza players made timely blocks and steals, whilst pushing forward to score and reduce the points' margin considerably thanks largely to the exploits of playmaker, Adam Jegame.
Mwanza was the stronger side in the second quarter as the team's attacking flair picked up tremendously and with Jegame efficiently driving play on the flanks, it was not surprising to see the side dominate and eventually lead 26-20 at the breather.
Jegame then picked a head injury after colliding with Mbeya's guard, Lusajo Samwel, when the duo was battling for a rebound down Mbeya's post and the gifted Mwanza playmaker had to be substituted for veteran guard, Kizito Bahati, whose presence helped Mwanza continue to stay in control for the remainder of the second quarter.
The game was a balanced affair in the third quarter as both sides attacked in turns but Mbeya, surprisingly, lacked composure in front of Mwanza hoop and thus missed a series of attempts in the process.
Mbeya also won more free throw chances in the quarter, but, again, missed a good number of them and the team was punished for its profligacy as Mwanza continued to widen the margin whenever the latter pushed forward.
Mbeya's scorers of points were Lusajo Samwel with 12 points, Humphrey George (seven points), Adam Aaron (six points) and Oswald Maboko (five points).
Mwanza was expected to face Unguja in the men's first semi-final at the same venue later in the afternoon after the Isles' outfit defeated Morogoro 52-33 in the morning quarter-final match also played at the same venue.
The semi-final matches of the women category were also scheduled to take place at the Leaders Club venue the same day, in which Mbeya and Morogoro were to clash in the first match before Pemba met Unguja in what promised to be an exciting duel.
Mwanza, which is one of strong favourites for the title, put solid performance against the Isles outfit and showed signs of emerging victors after commanding a 67-51 lead midway through the last quarter.
The winner's veteran player, Kizito Bahati, was delighted by the victory and told the 'Daily News' shortly after the match that his side is determined to go all the way and lift the trophy particularly after clearing the biggest of the hurdle, when it knocked rivals, Mbeya, out of the quarter-finals.
Mwanza's opponent in the final, which is expected to be played at the Leaders Club venue on Saturday, was to be determined in the Friday's second men's semi-final between Lindi and Singida, which was taking place at the same venue in the evening.
Mwanza, popularly known as the 'Rocky City Boys,' had previously qualified for the semi-finals with a 56-42 win over Mbeya in an entertaining quarter-final duel played at the Don Bosco venue earlier in the morning.
Juma Kisoky scored 18 points, Vincent Shinda had 16 points and Adam Jegame added six points to steer Mwanza to victory and stay on course for winning the title that has eluded them for the past few years.
Mbeya were no pushovers in the match and will be credited for showcasing a spirited performance to push their opponents throughout despite losing.
The team had an edge over Mwanza in the first quarter, in which the team's guards managed to put away most of their shots whenever they pushed forward and the former's game plan looked to have gone well until midway through the quarter, when Mwanza started taking command of the game.
Mwanza players made timely blocks and steals, whilst pushing forward to score and reduce the points' margin considerably thanks largely to the exploits of playmaker, Adam Jegame.
Mwanza was the stronger side in the second quarter as the team's attacking flair picked up tremendously and with Jegame efficiently driving play on the flanks, it was not surprising to see the side dominate and eventually lead 26-20 at the breather.
Jegame then picked a head injury after colliding with Mbeya's guard, Lusajo Samwel, when the duo was battling for a rebound down Mbeya's post and the gifted Mwanza playmaker had to be substituted for veteran guard, Kizito Bahati, whose presence helped Mwanza continue to stay in control for the remainder of the second quarter.
The game was a balanced affair in the third quarter as both sides attacked in turns but Mbeya, surprisingly, lacked composure in front of Mwanza hoop and thus missed a series of attempts in the process.
Mbeya also won more free throw chances in the quarter, but, again, missed a good number of them and the team was punished for its profligacy as Mwanza continued to widen the margin whenever the latter pushed forward.
Mbeya's scorers of points were Lusajo Samwel with 12 points, Humphrey George (seven points), Adam Aaron (six points) and Oswald Maboko (five points).
Mwanza was expected to face Unguja in the men's first semi-final at the same venue later in the afternoon after the Isles' outfit defeated Morogoro 52-33 in the morning quarter-final match also played at the same venue.
The semi-final matches of the women category were also scheduled to take place at the Leaders Club venue the same day, in which Mbeya and Morogoro were to clash in the first match before Pemba met Unguja in what promised to be an exciting duel.
# posted by afrbk : 15:22
