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USSA Western Cape Qualifiers – 19 March 2010

By on March 26, 2010 in League

UWC VS UCT

21 consecutive points for Captain Fantastic,F Marais (UWC #8), sealed a dramatic game of two halves as UCT goes down for the first time during the USSA Western Cape 2010 Qualifiers. All those who did not have the opportunity to watch the game,I am sorry bafethu.

I have seen Neo ‘The Matrix’ Mothiba, Q Denyssen, Thabo ‘Spiderman’ Letsebe and even Lesego ‘I got game’ Molebatsi taking over a game. The ‘Matrix’ would just end everything with his famous ‘its over’ action just to top it off. Unfortunately none of those SA players heroics could have come close to what F Marais had in store for the ouma’s and oupas that came to support UWC.With the 1st quarter being a 7 – 8 ding dong battle, no one expected what was to follow. The second Quarter was a 26 – 12 run for the UWC outfit that seemed to have UCT wetting their pants. Thanks partly to a full court press that UWC were playing. With turnovers galore from UCT, this was a clinic on how to run an effective press. UWC was boosted by the introduction of J Williams to the UWC outfit and I should have known what was to happen when he came to introduce himself to me. That hand shake was ‘make sure you don’t miss out on this game’ kind of a shake. UCT was just not in the rhythm and if their team name where UJ, I would have correctly guessed that they were in some GALAXY.

Going down into the half 15 points down, UCT fans who are known to be the most fanatic of them all where just silent but the support still evident. The second half started with V Mnini(UCT#7)setting the offensive tone for UCT as their captain was leading from the back as he did not bring his A game this time around. B Zhou(UCT #10) decided to help and before you know it,the UCT crowd was starting to believe and shouts of ‘U C WAAAT’ could be heard in Paarl,50km away. UCT began playing with a sense of purpose and V Mnini’s and B Zhou’s combined 16 points second half points made sure that UCT was in striking range having cut UWC ‘s lead to 8.

It could have been worse for UWC had F Marais not had something somethin during half time. Coming into the 1st half F Marais had 2 points but finished with a game high 27 Points. F Marais’s 25 second half points where the main reason to UWC’s survival of a last quarter surge from UCT. The amazing scoring run started early in the 3rd quarter when he(F Marais) scored UWC’s 8 points out of 10 points for the quarter and opened the 4th Quarter with 11 straight points for the chaps from Bellvile. Simultaneously, UCT had clawed their way back in the game and M Diatta(UCT #9) had finally found the venue for the party and he was making up for the lost time.

There where 5 lead changes in the final 1:26 of this game. UCT should have sealed the game when UWC, out of frustration, received a technical foul and 2 shots. However UCT could only bank in 1 free throw out 4. With a perfectly set screen for  F Marais shot going in, UCT had a couple of  chances to finish the game but free throws where to haunt UCT and eventually went done by 2 .66 – 64.

As the UCT fans held their hands in the air after B Zhou could not pick up a fast break with 3 seconds left on the clock, cries of ‘LALALALA, LALALALA HEY HEY GOODBYE’  were sung by the UWC fans. This by the way is the signature song for UCT after they win and UCT got a taste of their own medicine.

One thing is for sure, YOU CANT KEEP A CHAMP DOWN, FOR LONG.Till that day comes, everyone in Bellvile is shouting, ‘U DUBS’!!!

CPUT vs MATIES

Vincent Ntunja 27 points ensured the CPUT CATS outshined a determined Maties (University of Stellenbosch) team. A spirited fight by the Maties court leader P Aarde(#9) could not however bring the win to a struggling Maties team that is looking for their first win of the qualifiers.

The Maties had to win the game to ensure that they still where in contention for the 2 Western Cape USSA spots that are up for grabs for the 2010 USSA Nationals to be held in Durban later this year. Maties started very slow due to a big line-up that they had on the court which featured 3 6-4 players.CPUT utilized the fastbreak against the MATIES to perfection and causing the MATIES’s tower of strength, C.Dering(#13) to be rushing back all the time on defense and thus being prone to fouling. The 1st quarter ended with C Dering on 3 fouls and this disappointed Coach Booysen as the player was looking a real scoring threat. In no time, the CATS had built a 11 point lead going into the second.

Basketball is a game of runs and whilst CATS where already celebrating thinking they had won the game, P Aarde decided to take his team on his shoulders and started a fight back of note. The MATIES played good position basketball, with great passing and cutting to the baskets whilst CATS where trying too hard to force long 3s.P Aarde’s 9 quarter points was just what MATIES required and by the 4 minute mark of the second quarter, they had cut CPUT’s lead to only 1.Panic was the name of the game for the inexperienced CATS outfit and seemed like they had forgotten that they had forwards on their team.

With MATIES being 2 points down at half time, the game was perfectly balanced and an upset was on the cards. Unfortunately for the MATIES this was not to be. Unnecessary turnovers and the game tempo going up a notch led to the MATIES demise. The CATS built a double digit lead late in the 3rd Quarter and never let go. The CATS emerged 68 – 55 winners and have to gather themselves for an encounter against a UWC team in 2 weeks time. The CATS will have to play better defense should they want to beat the UWC team which is currently (2 -0) and looking unstoppable with F Marais just giving clinics, day in day out.

Tonight Games (26 March 2010)

University of the Western Cape vs University of Stellenbosch

Uinversity of Cape Town vs Cape Peninsula University of Technology (bellvile)

‘Where will you be, cos all roads lead to UCT tonight?”

Article by Kimathi Toboti and edited by Victor Shakineza

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