Basketball in Africa

Brown Msyani
The Citizen Correspondent
Dar es Salaam. The battle for the RBA League crown is now a two-horse race between Savio and ABC.Savio underlined their quest for the title and the jackpot that goes with it at the weekend when they stretched their unbeaten run to 17 games.

Sylvain Yunzu had six rebounds, five blocks and buried 17 baskets to lead his team to a 69-57 victory over former champions Pazi at the Don Bosco Youth Centre courts on Sunday.The win took Savio to the summit of the table with 34 points followed closely by JKT who have so far accumulated 32 points.
Last year’s finalists ABC occupy the third spot (30) and with three quarters of the matches played, they are still considered as big challengers for the prestigious title.In Sunday’s game, Henry Mwinuka of Savio also had a day to remember after notching 12 points and eight clever assists.

Pazi shooting guards Daniel Muya and Denis Chibura worked tirelessly upfront, but their 13 and seven points respectively could not save the team from falling to Savio.Savio went to the courts brimming with confidence considering their imperious form, but could not outplay their opponents in the first quarter. They won 15-14.The League leaders returned to the second quarter looking stronger and troubled Pazi with quick but accurate passes to take a deserved 20-14 lead, thus making the scoreboard read 35-28 in their favour.

After the recess, Pazi came with all guns blazing and peppered the Savio area to cut the deficit with a 17-11 win.
Sensing the danger of staining their record, Savio started the fourth quarter fiercely and dashed whatever hopes Pazi had of overturning the score after winning 23-11.
Speaking after the match, Savio head coach Dassy Makula showered praise on his players for their mental strength and expressed hopes of finishing the League without losing a match.

“It was a tough game, but my players coped very well with the pressure from Pazi and we won the match. With this kind of spirit, I am optimistic that we will finish the League unbeaten,” Makula said.The coach also lauded Pazi players for displaying some sublime basketball skills.
Another game on the same day saw Oilers humiliate Magone 75-45 with merciless Lusajo Samweli hitting 22 points followed by teammate Evans Davids who scored 15 points.