Author: ELKANA KUHENGA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: JKT Stars face Vijana Queens hurdle in the Regional Basketball League (RBA) match as the league surges into semis today at Harbours Club courts, Kurasini in Dar es Salaam.
After the Ladies game, JKT Men will be on the court to face Oilers in an encounter expected to be fiercely contested.
Basketball analysts expect epic encounters in both semis as all four teams showed classy performance in their play-off games.
In women’s side, the semifinalists were picked from the four top teams that excelled in the women’s league. They were JKT Stars who finished at the top with twelve points from six wins followed by Ukonga Queens with 10 points similar to DB Lioness on third and Vijana Queens who claimed the fourth spot.
During men’s quarterfinals; JKT defeated Ukonga Kings 2-0, whereas in their first play-off game they registered a 85-65 win and in the second play off they penned a 68-60 victory.
Other men semifinalists include Army Basketball Club (ABC) and Kurasini Heat. ABC stepped into the semifinals after knocking out defending champions Vijana City Bulls by 2-1.
It was thrilling contest as both teams showed outstanding performance; VBC won the first games by 81-71 but in the second and third game ABC registered 71-81 and 80-75 wins.
Kurasini Heat had the best game as they eliminated Savio with two straight wins.
In their first game they registered 58-51 whereas in the second one, Kurasini destroyed their opponents by a hefty 90-58 win. Their opponent Oilers sealed a place to the semis after recording 2-0 victory over Pazi. They won 80-70 and 71-58.
Prior to the quarterfinals game JKT sailed to the playoff stage after collecting 30 points after winning all their fifteen matches.
ABC, who hauled 27 points, Kurasini Heat who collected 26 points were third ahead of the fourth-placed Pazi; Oilers were placed at the fifth position with 25 points similar to Ukonga Kings, Vijana City bulls while Savio finished 8th.
The men’s league involved 16 teams while the women’s discipline had only seven teams. The league will reach its climax on October 15th this year.
