One needs not look far for the inspiration behind Mfantseman Girls Senior High School alumni’s dedication to their craft; “Obra Nye Woarbo” meaning “Life is what you Make it” pretty much does that. One of the first all girls high school in Ghana, Mfantseman popularly known as “Syte” has been an ever present and powerful force in the West African country despite nestling on the small coastal fishing town of Saltpond.
One major area the school has been synonymous with over the years has been the Sprite Ball High School Basketball Championship after winning two bronze medals in the competition.
Like many novices who struggle to make an immediate mark in the tournament –a showcase of the strength in quality of competing teams-Syte struggled to unseat established basketball programs in Wesley Girls High School, St.Mary’s Senior High School and Sacred Heart High School. However, years of diligent planning, bigger financial commitment and improved scouting, turned the school’s basketball fortune’s around.
Year after year the signs of improvement began to show and 2014’s edition gave the school its breakthrough moment with a third place finish behind surprise winners T.I.Ahmadiyya and runners up Aggrey Memorial. Toppling an equally fledgling basketball hub in Labone Senior High School to win bronze, Mfantseman finally announced itself to the world. Former Guard Ernest Koomson’s young, innovative and vibrant brand of coaching proved key in unlocking the potential of the ladies as the side’s combination of disciplined but expressive basketball catapulted them to the elite class in the country.
To show their win was no fluke or a flash in the pan, once in a generation feat, the side came back harder, stronger and better with almost the same roster from the previous campaign and ambitions of going a step further in the competition. Despite placing third Guard Rebecca was named Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.
However, matters stayed the same as finalist, T.I.Ahmadiyya and Aggrey Memorial made it past Mfantseman to renew their rivalry in the final for the former to triumph again. Again, Syte came third beating Nkawkaw Girls High School to win bronze for the second straight year.
Conversely, the quest for a third medal proved fruitless in the ninth edition of Sprite Ball held earlier this year where the team got placed alongside debutants Kumasi Girls Senior High, Tema Senior High and Awudome Senior High Schools respectively in Group C. Kumasi Girls qualified from the group to star in a fairy tale of their own beating Mfantseman in the process. A stellar cast of talented players have graced the deep violet stripes of the school including Carlyn Adjei, who plays for Accra Basketball League outfit Fire Service and was recently nominated in the Female Most Valuable Player of the Year Category at the Ghana Basketball Awards.
Still at helm, Coach Koomson has promised his side will once again feature in the medal listings at the tenth anniversary of the games. The chance to immortalize themselves in folklore is near and the time to make that happen is now.
