Israel Saria
Vijana expressed their intent on mounting a successful chase of the trophy in the Dar es Salaam regional basketball league with an impressive 75-24 win over Cargo at the National Indoor Stadium yesterday.
Vijana owed their success in the game to the mercurial playmaker Said Khamis, who initiated almost every move that helped team mates, score with ease.
Khamis was a player that Cargo found difficult to mark throughout the four quarters and the experienced guard used his agility to torment Cargo defense on every opportunity.
It was Khamis who opened Vijana’s account with a well executed lay-up and he then inspired his team mates to command 17-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Cargo, who were keen on upsetting Vijana to mark a successful return to the top flight competition after languishing in the lower league for years, attempted to make occasional forays into Vijana goal but were let down by poor finishing.
The next two quarters saw Vijana opt for all out attacks that paid dividends as the team won more points through their towering players Mwalimu Heri, Emmanuel Mwikalo and Alpheus Kisusi.
Vijana powered to 54-17 in the third quarter and maintained a wide margin for the rest of the match despite a late onslaught deployed by Cargo.
Cargo, nevertheless, did not go down without a fight as the team’s dependable scorer Andrew Sam linked with team mates Mbaraka Nassoro and John Nyanda to press for points during the closing stages.
A handful of fans who attended the match were treated to a fast paced game in the last quarter in which Cargo desperately attempted to narrow the score margin while Vijana put a well coordinated defense to frustrate the former’s attacks and kept on adding points whenever chances came their way.
Heri and Mwikalo had 12 points apiece while Kisusi added eight points for Vijana. Sam scored 14 points while Nassoro had four and Nyanda finished with two points for Cargo.
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