New BBA season promises fireworks

Nhlanhla Mbele

THE Bulawayo Basketball Association’s (BBA) league resumes on Saturday at Khanyisile Sports Centre in North End suburb amid expectations of nail biting encounters.

Southern Mavericks and Giants are respectively the league’s defending champions and in the men’s and women’s categories.

To kick start the league, last weekend the association held a successful two day pre-season tournament that saw 13 teams compete at Khanyisile Sports Centre and Eveline High School.

It was a competition in which Mavericks conquered all and sundry in the men’s category while Lakers got the top accolade in women’s grouping.

Men’s teams that took part are Giants, Legends, Oilers, City Knights, National University of Science and Technology (Nust A), Nust B, Warriors, Lakers, Highlanders, Baseline, Lupane State University (LSU), Unicorns and eventual winners Southern Mavericks.

In the women’s grouping, Lakers A sweated it out against Lakers B, Angels, Nust, Divas, Highlanders, LSU and Mavericks.

BBA secretary-general Francis Dube said: “The pre-season tournament suggested that we are heading for good times in the league. The participating clubs proved to be very competitive. For example in the men’s final, Mavericks won their game against Lakers by one point at the death of the match which ended 34-33. The women’s final between

Lakers and Mavericks ended 47-24 to further show how competitive were the pre-season games.”