It could well be described as pure classic, genius and a shadow of greatness as Police laboured to record a sweet victory over Panthers in arguably the best performance in the ongoing Thome Cabalan Championship on Thursday morning.
The penultimate and final quarters were the deciding moments of the game after an even contest in the first two quarters.
Fans who had gathered at the venue were left satisfied following an end to end action in the competition which is fast becoming more interesting than earlier anticipated.
Police were losing the ball to their opponent too easily, making a lot of percentage fouls and allowing Point Guard Ferranyi Olulunyo and his colleagues to punish them in the process in the third quarter.
The final quarter was more intriguing. The points at a point was 45-45 for both sides with five minutes to spare in the game and both coaches called timed out to allow their players to reserve the nerves and concentrate for the final minutes of the game. Fans could be heard screaming on top of the voices – in the wake of helping their respective side to get the necessary push to kill the game before the buzzer goes for the end of the game.
The game also witnessed some referring decisions which didn’t go down well with some of the fans at the venue. Clearly depending on which team had the advantage, FIBA licensed referee Steve Honger stood his guns and interpreted the rules on the court.
Lack of concentration in the closing stages of the game allowed Police to take advantage and punished Panthers by a 64-58 score line to send their fans into wild jubilations.
Meanwhile, Magic’s quest to cause an upset in this year’s Thome Cabalan Championship is well on course following the side’s 47-44 victory over Fire Service.
Francis Wilson of Magic brought his technical acumen to bear with some substitutions that seemed to have brought the catalyst for the side’s success.
The close contest should tell you about how difficult the game was for both sides and it needed a moment individual brilliance, character and stamina to settle the scores.
The victory was sweet and comparable to when American icon Lebron James clinched the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the NBA Championship and helped the LA Lakers to the series some weeks ago.
The 2010 edition of the Thome Cabalan Championship is underway at the Lebanon court in Ghana’s capital, Accra to honour the man who donated his property to promote sports in the country especially basketball.
By: Patrick Akoto
