With less than three minutes remaining, Ghana Air Force trailed Leopards by two points and had ample opportunities to score baskets and secure the win but failed to do so.
Air Force ended up losing 42-52 against Leopards in its opening game of the 2022 Accra Basketball League (ABL) Men’s Division II Season. The game was played at the Prisons Court in Accra.
Match Report
Air Force Gabriel Afachi got the game’s first points from a long corner jumper. Emmanuel Mensah drained a jump shot to get Leopards on the board.
Abdul -Basit Sowah scored a jump shot and added a three pointer to give Air Force an 11-3 lead with 2:56 minutes left in the first quarter. Air Force’s Thompson Kotokah drained a pair of free throws to close out the opening quarter with a 15-4 lead.
Joseph Quartey scored on a couple of drives to the basket to get Leopards within five points of Air Force (11-16). Emmanuel Lamptey scored from the free throw line to give Air Force a 20-11 first half lead.
Owusu Nuamah and Samuel Atiapah traded baskets prior to Samuel Corblah making one of two free throw shots. Atiapah scored a fast break layup as Leopards trailed 18-24 with 5:27 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Leslie Kormedodah scored four points including scoring off a beautiful setup inside by Quartey. Corblah scored a tough layup; Air Force led 29-27 heading to the final quarter.
Nathaniel Killian scored back to back baskets for Leopards. Nuamah scored two layups off fast breaks and Sulley Wahab added a three pointer.
Mensah’s three pointer and Brandon Tettey’s acrobatic layup pulled Leopards within a point of Airforce’s lead. Kormedodah was left alone to grab a rebound off a missed three pointer to put Leopards up 42-40 with 2:42 left in the game.
Atiapah scored three points to extend Leopards lead (45-40) with 1:58 minutes remaining. Killian scored two free throws to put Leopards up 48-42 with 56 seconds left. Atiapah scored in the final seconds to give Leopards a 52-42 win.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
