GBL round up for some of the Premier games…
Braam. Blues vs. Egoli (Men) – 19/03/2009
On Friday the 20th of March Bramfontein Blues met up with Egoli Magic after getting beaten by Wits Alumni the previous week. One would think after that kind of beating Blues would step it up a notch; showing other teams that they have a good team and they mean business… Boy did we get that wrong.
Both teams looked heavy on court but Egoli were the ones converting more baskets in the first half of the game. Lesego Molebatsi looked more solid in this game; averaging 2 for 3 from the field and playing proper defense this time around. S’fiso aka “Money”, a former University of Johannesburg and is now playing for the Blues; played hard from the get-go though his team didn’t have their head in the game.
In the second half of the game, Blues started playing harder; closing the 20 point difference down to 12 points. This lasted for five minutes before their fitness came into play and they gave up on the game, granting Egoli the “respect” that was due… Final score: Braam. Blues 59 – 92 Egoli Magic.
UJ vs. TUT (Ladies) – 22/03/2009
On Sunday the 22th The University of Johannesburg (UJ) ladies played their first premier game against Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). With some of their players missing on court, UJ certainly played sweet basketball, shutting down TUT’s offense in a way they weren’t expecting. The Tshwane team were struggling to score against the in your face pressure defense of UJ.
Kgaogelo “KG” Phiri, who definitely stood out, went home with an amazing 18 points to her name. This young player who has been with the team since she was in high school, had a good shooting day. Down at the low post Nosipho Njokweni held it down proper for UJ, not letting TUT’s post anywhere close to the hoop (heads up to Tumi the number 11 from TUT who really tried to bag a couple of baskets for her team). Final score UJ 85 – 9 TUT.
CUT vs. TUT (Men) – 22/03/2009
After the debate last year of whether or not Central University of Technology (CUT) would play in the premier division; this past weekend those questions were answered by the boys from the Free State. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of character on court and with their charismatic coach Kimathi on their benchi; they had the spirit to rally from 10 points down and win the game. CUT have the likes of Thuso playing for them which adds some experience to the young ambitious team.
The Tshwane guys didn’t go unnoticed as they also played hard till the last second. They started like a house on fire with some hot shooting from 3pt territory but when the long range shots ran out in the last 2 quarters they couldn’t match CUT in the post. With Neo Mothiba now playing for Pretoria heat; TUT has lost some experience on their side. On the other hand if TUT had a coach with a bit more experience guiding them, they could be a threat to many teams in the league. Final score: TUT 70 – 74 CUT.
Wits vs. UJ (Men) – 22/03/2009
The game that wrapped up last weekend’s basketball action was the Wits and University of Johannesburg (UJ) men’s team. From the jump ball the game was quick and exciting; UJ met their match this time, with a team equally quick and talented. Once again the referees made some shocking calls (fortunately the lime light ain’t on them). Moving right along… Chelumusa Khumalo had a fantastic game, getting the most minutes on the floor since joining Galaxy (UJ) last year. “I played good defense, I guess that’s the reason why coach played me”, was what Stanger had to say when asked about his game. Wayne (Wits 15) was silently hurting UJ in the Small forward position, and having a rebounding stallion like Long (Wits 11) was something that helped Wits stay in the game. Long was rebounding, blocking shots and scoring baskets at crucial times and when Wits stopped using him they were struggling to get their offense going. With 1:56 on the clock, Wits finally gave up with the chances of a comeback gone. But they should regroup and figure out how to break the UJ press.
Listening to the comments that were being made by the spectators and many others can concur that Wits hasn’t looked this good in A LONG TIME! Congratulations to all the teams that played this weekend. The big game to look out for this Friday night is Wits Alumni going head to head against the University of Johannesburg at the Wits courts. This is a game that can either prove many points being made about University teams, answering the question whether or not the University teams are a going to give the “Senior Teams” a good run for their money. We’ll soon find out.
Article by Nthabiseng Mushi edited by Victor Shakineza
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