The Rush Commmunity Basketball Tournament’s maiden edition moves into the semi final stage with four distinguished teams suceessfully navigating past a competitive field in the preliminary rounds.
Tema Sharks, Osu Hawks, Ashaiman Tigers and the Tudu Warriors having already scaled the challenges of six other teams in the tournament, will knock horns in a bid to become the ultimate winner come December 20.
The tournament which celebrates basketball in Ghanaian communities has over the past eight weeks hosted 10 teams drawn from neighborhoods in Ghana’s capital and beyond to an all-play-all preliminary round of games at the Accra Polytechnic multi purpose court.
The Osu Hawks head to the semis on the back of an undefeated streak in its four group matches. The Hawks’ play in the early rounds of the tournament have been characterized by great ball movement and selflessness to free up teammates in better positions.
The Hawks collective game is reflected in how three different players in the team have scooped Player of the Week honors and unlike other teams, the team’s offense isn’t hinged on one player. Emmanuel Dickson, Mohammed Yakubu and Benjamin Debrah have topped the scoring list as well as the weekly player rankings at different points in the competition.
The Hawks next opponent is almost a carbon copy of what the group from Osu stand for. The Tudu Warriors placed second in Group A after amassing three wins and a solitary loss to Tema Sharks.
The Warriors, like the Hawks, rely on sound defense to wreck havoc at the other end. During games, players from the Warriors can be seen swarming their opponents through double teams and full court press. Defensive men David Pinto and Benjamin Sowah will be relied upon to send the host community and their passionate supporters to the finals.
The other semi final match will be an all Tema affair as Group A leaders Tema Sharks come up against Ashaiman Tigers. The two communities have a long standing rivalry that goes beyond bragging rights over which community is superior in the Municipality.
At the point, experienced guard Dzorbeti Gameli will square off against sharp shooter Elvis Pobi Siaw in the back court. The Sharks can always count on Power Forward MacMartey Larweh to put in a good shift and Small Forward Emmanuel Borsah can shoulder the scoring load as he has done in previous games.
The Tigers will look for an upturn in fortune for Point Guard Daniel Amartey whose strong start to the competition has fizzled into oblivion.
