Police V, Dolphins win Basketball nationals
Larona Makhaiza | Monday May 15, 2023 16:00
Police V women had to face a team from the south in Dolphins Albatross because the Botswana Basketball League did not have the North league like in men's category.
Police V became the national champions with one game to spare out of the total three that is normally played. In the first game, both Police V and Dolphins played their hearts out with no signs of slacking down.
However, despite the highly contested encounter, Police V saw it through at the final whistle of the last quarter. They won the first game 64-57. Police V put themselves in the forefront going onto the second game and needed one more victory to wrap up the tournament. On the second game, the two teams continued from where they had left off on Friday.
They kept going pound to pound at each other until the last quarter. By the time of the final whistle signalling the end of the game, Police V were leading Dolphins 65-46.
The win in the second game for Police V meant they were now the champions of the women Basketball league. Though Dolphins Albatross missed on a chance to be the national champions, that was not the case for their counterparts, Dolphins men who dismantled rookies from Maun, Delta Spirit. Dolphins dismantling of Delta Spirit did not come as a surprise to many, as the team from the South has been dominant in the basketball league for quite some time now. To prove their dominance in the league, Dolphins triumphed over Delta by 96-45.
They went onto win the second game 96-62 and claimed the championship with a game to spare. Dolphins men coming out as the national champions means the team gets to have a shot at the Basketball Africa League (BAL). BAL is an African basketball tournament that is played by the national champions just like the CAF Champions League.
The president for the Botswana Basketball Association, Boineelo Hardy was proud with how the league turned out until the last day despite the challenges they faced. “It was a tough league; it was tough with everything, the facilities. But all in all, it was really an exciting season and an exciting journey for almost everyone,” Hardy said. She went to appeal to the private sector to come on board and sponsor the league.