Vusumuzi Dube
Nkosilathi Sibanda, Online Reporter
NKULUMANE High School continues to be a trailblazer in schools sports, having closed the second term on a high as its boys and girls’ Under-20 basketball teams performed well in the just ended National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH) championships held in Masvingo.
The schools’ teams were representing Bulawayo Province at this grand stage where the team that gets to represent the country at the Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa (Cossasa) is selected.
Twenty four teams participated from the 10 provinces, with the both categories having 12 teams participating.
Nkulumane High School’s girls’ team finished third and the boys settled for fourth.
Dzivarasekwa and Girls High Schools of Harare were crowned champions of the contest, respectively.
However, nothing could stop Nkulumane High School from leaving a mark at the competition. The school got the gong for the top goal scorer in the boys’ category through Keith Tshuma who amassed 82 points.
The Bulawayo school’s boys’ side was grouped with Gokomere High and Dzivarasekwa High of Harare in Pool A. They beat Dzivarasekwa 24-22 in the first game and went on to meet Gokomere, whom they beat 29-13.
They struggled in the semi-finals, losing 49-44 to Mazowe High, going down again, in the third place play-off to Prince Edward on a 24-19 scoreline.
Nkulumane girls, who got the bronze, first met Gokomere and made a good showing with a 40-3 victory. They finished their second game having beaten Convent High of Harare 35-29. In the semis, they crumbled 35-1 to Girls High of Harare Province.
Eventually, they fought hard for bronze as they beat Wise Owl girls 28-14.
For Nkulumane High School, the performance by its teams was a cap to a well prepared second term of sport, as the school’s headmistress Monica Ncube revealed.
“We are proud of how the basketball teams performed. We put in hard effort in the fight and it paid dividends for us. All the work done by the coaches, the effort from the players is worth a mention.
“Going forward we want to be a force to reckon with, in terms of sport. We are leaving no stone unturned in our quest as Nkulumane High School to make sure we contribute to nurture talent that will be of help to the nation,” said Ncube.
Other schools that took part in the competition were Nhlambabaloyi of Matabeleland North who finished last in the boys’ category.
Matabeleland South’s Cyrene were in position 11.
Empandeni High, representing Matabeleland South finished in seventh position.
Overall Matabeleland schools have not done very well in sport since the athletics season.
Online Reporter