FIBA Africa Zone 6 Weekly Review: 21/10/2024

FIBA Africa Zone 6 Weekly Review: 21/09/2024

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Mozambique

The LigaSASOL for women is underway in Mozambique with the first phase of the competition taking place at the Maxaquene Arena in the capital city of Maputo. There are 8 teams in the competition: Ferroviaro Nacala, Ferroviaro da Beira, Municipal da Beira, Maxaquene, Costa do Sol, Ferroviaro Maputo, Politecnica and Basket da Lazio.

Though only three games have been played, it is quite clear who the favorite teams are and by a long mile. Ferroviaro Maputo and Costa do Sol have already cemented their positions as favorites after some dominating victories. The two teams have created much anticipation for what the final matchup will be. The ladies of Costa do Sol won 115-45 against Maxaquene, 82-40 against Municipal da Beira and 129-39 against Nacala while Ferroviaro Maputo clinched a 93-62 victory against Ferroviaro da Beira, 86-50 against Politecnica and a convincing 167-29 against Nacala.

The league continues with 3 more games this week to close out this part of the competition as Mozambique will also prepare to host the qualification of the Women’s Basketball League Africa in Maputo next month.

South Africa

The Basketball National League (BNL) came to an end this weekend following the two-game series finals. Western Cape Mountaineers Women took on Tshwane Suns – a repeat of last year’s finals - where they went on to claim the title and complete the first ever 3-peat in the history of the league.

They won 90-55 in the first game, allowing them to take their foot off the pedal for game two. This first game proved too difficult for Tshwane Suns to bounce back from. Mountaineers completed the task as they won 44-42 in the second game. Talita Memani of the Mountaineers was named the MVP for 2024 after she contributed consistently to her team’s success throughout the season.

In the men’s division, it was a new type of history being written. This was the first time either team made it to the finals which was a new dawn for BNL. KwaZulu Marlins went on to defeat the Mpumalanga Rhinos 86-55 in the first game to ease the pressure on themselves. In the second game, Rhinos bounced back and fought hard for the win, but it was not enough as Marlins found a second wind and closed the game off and won 71-68. They claimed their first ever championship and their captain Sifisi Gininda was named league MVP after his consistent performances throughout the season.

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Zimbabwe

With every team gunning for a spot in the coveted Basketball Africa League (BAL), they have to go through Road To BAL and then Elite 16. The third leg of Road To BAL is set to start this week in Harare, Zimbabwe. The competition will be played from 22-27 October, where the top 4 teams will move on to play the Elite 16tournament in South Africa next month. The 6 teams taking part are Costa do Sol from Mozambique, Bravehearts from Malawi, Matero Magic from Zambia, Basket Houndz from Zimbabwe, Botswana Defense Forces  and Fox Basketball Club from South Sudan. It is the first time most of these teams are competing at Road To BAL but they are all ready to represent their countries well and dazzle the fans.

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[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of BNL, DSports, Road To BAL]