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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
STOCKY JBC held their nerve to register a single point victory over second-placed Leopards Academy on Sunday to stretch their lead at the top of the Harare Basketball Association Super Six League to nine points.
The hard-fought 68-67 victory left the Addison Chiware charges in good space to bag the title in a season they have stepped up to the plate.
With six games still to play, Chiware’s men need to post four more victories to claim the honours.
Their match against closest pursuers on Sunday was billed to be the decider and what a tie it turned out to be.
JBC, had to dig deeper with Tatenda Tswatswa and Tatenda Chiimba top scoring with 12 points each while the trio of Noah Penduka, Rolland Changare and Takunda Zamani hit the basket 10 times each.
Chiware said the competition in the league is stiff and his team ought to remain focused if they are to go all the way.
“I think we are very fortunate to be in pole position in a league that is so competitive. I think it all comes down to hard work and perseverance on our part.
“The match against Leopards Academy was very close and bruising. We had to dig deeper into our bag of tricks really to get this result.
“They came at us and asked difficult questions, it was really fiery. But I am happy my guys managed to absorb all the pressure and found a way to win the tight match.
“My hope is that we continue doing as much as we are doing to remain on top of the log. We are approaching the last six games and naturally you become very anxious,” said Chiware.
“But we need to trust in our craft, put in the work, correct our flaws and improve our strengths, I think that way, we can win the league title.
“We have a lot of positives in our team to count on. In every game, I think we have been having four, five guys contributing double digits and that is very encouraging.
“We don’t rely on individuals but we play as a team and I think that way, we will be able to thwart all the threats.
“We are in a good space to win the title but we are very much aware of the capabilities of our opponents so we need to remain grounded and put in more work, week in and week out.”
In the women’s pool, Vixens maintained their single point lead at the top after narrowly beating Harare City Hornets 46-41.
UZ Sparks are closely behind them and on Sunday, the Students put Bunnies to the slaughter house with a dominant 67-38 victory over the second-from-bottom side.
JBC Women and City Hornets both have a chance to win the title though as they are not far off the leading pair.
Results
Women: Vixens 46-41 Harare City Hornets, UZ Sparks 67-38 Bunnies, JBC 37-42 Greenstars
Men: UZ Stars 43-97 Bucs, JBC 68-67 Leopards Academy
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