Vijana Queens eye win in RBA League opener

Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam Regional Basketball League (RBA) champions Vijana Queens will launch their title defence campaign against DB Lioness on Saturday.

The eagerly awaited match will start at 2pm at the National Indoor Stadium, according to the fixtures released yesterday by Basketball Dar es Salaam (BD).

The match is expected to evoke memories of the 2017 National Basketball League final when Vijana Queens beat the Lioness 65-52 to clinch the trophy.

Vijana Queens head coach Kabiola Shomari said yesterday that his players were in high spirits, raring to begin their title defence campaign with a bang.

Shomari predicted a tough encounter but remained optimistic that it would produce positive results for the title-holders.

He said DB Lioness, like his team, boast a number of highly skilled players, a situation he said might bring stiff opposition to his girls.

“We have been training intensively ahead of the RBA League. Our target is not only to beat DB Lioness, but also retain the title,” Shomari said.

“We know that our opponents also want to perform well this season, but this will not stop us from winning Saturday’s match,” he said confidently.

DB Lioness head coach Evarist Mapunda also believes that his side can tame Vijana Queens.

The match will be followed by another encounter between JKT Stars and Jeshi Stars at the same venue.

In the men’s category, the opening game will pit Savio against Oilers. It will be followed by a game between JKT and Vijana or City Bulls, as the team is popularly known.

JKT head coach Alfred Ngalalija said yesterday that his team’s game against Vijana stands to be tough given that the latter boast a host of experienced players.