Basketball league down to final four
Larona Makhaiza | Saturday April 22, 2023 06:00
The quartet's road to the top-four battle was not all smooth sailing as the teams had to conquer formidable opponents last weekend. Dolphins came up against UB Relics and prevailed 70-44 in the first game.
The second game was a close contest as Dolphins came out tops 64-33. Police V had an assignment against fellow disciplined forces side BDF V. The game proved to be a tough encounter as both sides did not want to lose the fight, but Police emerged victorious by 66 points to 61 in a close contest. Police V did marginally better in the second game, registering a winning score of 59 to the opponent's 47.
After their weekend heroics, Police V and Dolphins have set up a date against each other this weekend to determine the team that makes it to the final. Dolphins will go up against Police V on Friday at the University of Botswana Outdoor Courts at 8pm. Troopers on the other hand will battle it out against Molepolole-based, Motown Eagles at 6pm before the Dolphins-Police V game.
The Botswana Basketball Association (BBA) public relations officer, Abaleng Lesego said the league has run smoothly although they had to change venues. “The support from the fans has been incredibly valuable and due to the great support from the fans, we had to move our games from SSKB to UB Outdoor Courts to address the proximity issue that our fans always faced,” she said.
Lesego said the weekend winners will battle it out at the Grand Finale to claim the championship title. She said the dates for the Grand Finale will be announced in due course after the weekend's semi-final clashes. Meanwhile, Lesego said the women's teams will not be in action due to an upcoming tournament. “In the interim, we have a 5x5 women’s tournament in Maun on the last week of the month hence why you won’t see the women competing in the Top 4 because we have only one league running for women,” Lesego explained.
The tournament is expected to be held on April 29-30. The women’s basketball teams interested in taking part in the tournament will be expected to pay P600. The champions will walk away with P5,000 with the runners-up getting P2,500 while the third-place team will receive P1,250.