It was expected to be keenly contested and it lived up to pre match hype as Maamobi-Nima posted a famous 34-24 victory over champions Cantonment on Saturday to dump them out of the competition.
The action-packed match was characterised by end to end action from both teams who displayed absolute brilliance and power play to the delight of the sizeable crowd at the University of Ghana basketball court.
With star point guard Frank Adobler struggling to find his form on the night; it was obvious the side was going to have Coach Abeiku Solomon charge’s a difficult nut to crack.
Maamobi –Nima started on a blistering note with some sweet flowing and attacking game; winning almost every single ball and taking advantage of rebounds and fast breaks.
But the defending champions bounced back in the first quarter strongly to tie the score at 14-14. They seem to be cruising in the second quarter but a late surge in the penultimate and final quarter allowed the young players from Maamobi-Nima to pose a famous success over the champions- sending the teeming fans into wild jubilations that would go deep into the night.
Tough-talking coach of Cantonment, Daniel Sowah attributed his side’s defeat to fatigue.
‘The reason for our defeat today narrows down to fatigue. My boys were simply tired and that’s the major reason for our defeat today’. Sowah told basketballghana.com after the match.
‘It part of the game and so we take in good stride and hope that we bounce back next year stronger. Sometimes it must happen like this to learn our lessons. We’re disappointed but not disgraced that we couldn’t defend our title. We live to see another day’. he concluded
But his opposite number was full of praise for his young charges whom he described as the ‘golden age band’ of players to the game to the highest level in the West African country.
‘I’m really thrilled with our performance today. We were very patient and I’m glad it turned out well for us’. Solomon said
‘We’re taking one game at a time and I keep telling you that the best is yet to come from these young boys who are determined to make history for themselves and the community’.
Community Dunks is an initiative of Rite Multimedia and sponsored by Indomie with support from Metro TV.
By: Patrick Akoto
