Game 1: CPUT ladies beat Future Stars with experience

First game of the best of 3 final. CPUT had a slow start to the game, be it nerves, anxiety, not knowing what offensive tactics to expect from Truworths Future Stars. It was a tense start from the Cats camp, but to those who love the game and get lost into feeling it, it was obvious that by the time we hit half time, we had put on our full armour :).

It was a close score tie in the first quarter, each team scoring for each basket the other team put in. Future Stars pushed hard on Defence and made it hard for easy basket scores for our ladies. But come the latter part of the 2nd quarter, our offensive upped and baskets were good from penetrations to jumpers, making it more difficult for the Truworths Future Stars team to close in on us as a result.

By the 3rd minute of the 3rd quarter we’d established a 10 point gap which gave way to a stronger offensive on our side. Truworths continued to beat against an even stronger defence from the Cat’s ladies, which attempted to cut off their point guard before crossing the half court, and our point guard scored at least 3 baskets when a trap led to successful steals, growing our confidence even more.

We experienced a couple of penetrations from their side making them, nonetheless, a threat throughout most of the game, but with the final score leveled at 81/51 to the Cat’s ladies, it gave us confidence that we needed only one more game to be champions once again.

As Matthew, our coach, put it, ‘the ladies had come out to play ‘ball’, and having him with us at every step of the game, pushing us, also contributed, not forgetting the support from the ladies on the bench shouting and supporting us, especially when the referees made interesting calls that slowed our roll, but only for a moment. It was all about the best team winning, and Cat’s Ladies Basketball team sure put it out that day.

On my personal game, I was very satisfied with my contribution to the offensive game; finishing off easy lay-ups, finishing up on the fast-breaks, a couple of drives where fouls were called and free throws awarded, a couple of jumpers and also pass assists that ended up in the hoop, made for a great overall feeling. On the team side, we really pulled together on the zone and half-court trap defence, passing to cutters and fast break runners, took us to the final score that left everyone feeling highly satisfied and hyped. We were so ready for the next game that would have us seal the league championship. Final score: CPUT ladies 81 – 51 Future Stars

Game 2 was a forfeit in favor of CPUT, with Future stars coming to the game unprepared and without their player cards and no coach so the game went to CPUT.

Article by Sashai Yhukutwana (CPUT player) and edited by Victor Shakineza

Tags: Basketball, Cape University of Technology, CPUT, Truworths Future Stars, University of Cape Town, WCBA, Western Cape Basketball Association