Savio, Vijana Queens sparkle at RBA finals

Savio players celebrate after beating JKT 88-81 in the men’s RBA League final at the National Indoor Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday night. PHOTO | BROWN MSYANI.

What you need to know:

  • Vijana Queens were crowned new RBA champions after beating Don Bosco Lioness 72-71 in an exciting final at the National Indoor Stadium.

Dar es Salaam. High-flying Savio and Vijana Queens claimed top honours in this year’s Dar es Salaam Regional Basketball Association (RBA) League after winning their respective final matches on Saturday night.

Vijana Queens were crowned new RBA champions after beating Don Bosco Lioness 72-71 in an exciting final at the National Indoor Stadium.

In the men’s RBA League final, defending champions Savio retained their title with a hard-fought 88-81 win over JKT at the same venue.

It was JKT who made a bright start in the tense but thrilling men’s final. The army team looked set to claim the regional title when they took a 20-18 first quarter lead.

In the second quarter, Savio, looking unperturbed, pressed upfront relentlessly in search of points. And their efforts paid dividends as, after a tight battle, they managed to win the quarter 22-20. In the third Savio, led by Brian Mramba, started where they had left off and took the quarter 20-17.

Mramba, one of Savio’s dependable players, was at his best in the end-to-end encounter. He covered much ground for his team and slotted in game-high 24 points to steer the title-holders to the victory.

He led Savio attacks throughout the match as his side survived a scare before downing the hard-fighting army outfit.

He was as accurate as ever whenever he aimed at JKT hoop to the delight of the savio supporters at the venue.

His teammate Mohamed Yusuph had 20 points while JKT got their points through Mussa Chacha and Baraka Sadick, who scored 19 and 15 points respectively.

Speaking shortly after the game, a visibly overjoyed Savio coach, Evarist Mapunda showered praise on his players, but admitted that JKT played impressively.

“My players performed well once again against spirited opponents. JKT boast experienced and talented players, I am very happy that we managed to overcome such a strong team,” he said.