Basketball in Africa

FORMER national champions Matero Magic sent a strong message about their title ambitions in the Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) Sprite National Championships play off with an emphatic 15-point win yesterday.

Southern zone's Matero Magic beat CEC Cavaliers from the north via a 80-65 scoreline underlining their intentions to have a run at the national championship.

CEC Cavs will hope to regroup today and make amends as the two teams square up for game-two.

In the B league, all north teams match up, Don Bosco used the home court advantage to edge Ndola Takers by a basket in a close game and that makes for a good rematch when they take to the court for game two. Don Bosco edged Takers 78-76.

In the feminine league, LCC Lootresses blew the CEC Queens away by 20 points which exposed the difference in class between the South and North region in terms of the women game.

Lootresses swept their Copperbelt hosts and they should finish their business today and head home to wait for the semi-finals that are scheduled for Lusaka.

In the other game which was at the halfway mark by Press time, the north champions CBU Robins were trailing Napsa Breeze by 13 points.

Napsa Breeze were ahead 27-14 and the Robins never looked like they would be able to erase the deficit.

By Press time, other games that were to be played involved Mansa Select against Solwezi Panthers for the B League .