Under-16 Baskeball Team Tumbles

THE Zambia Under-16 basketball girls' team yesterday suffered its first defeat at the on-going Zone Six Cup of Nations preliminaries for AfroBasket U18, 2011 championships in Lusaka, losing to Zimbabwe at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC).

Zambia's boys team was by press time playing Mozambique and is today expected to take on South Africa. The girls face a much tougher test against their South African opponents on Wednesday.

The girls team, donned in the famous green, red and black strip on their shorts, started yesterday's match bubbling full of confidence following their 102-18 win against Botswana on Saturday.

Zambia were co-ordinated in the first quarter with Miriam Mulambo and Zeko Chulu showing off their skills and taking the game to the opponents.

It was in the second quarter that local girls' defensive lapses were exposed through Zimbabwean player-marker Melisa Majonga and caused the Zambian coach Joseph Chowa to get furious with his defenders as their opponents posted baskets at will.

Chowa's substitutions done simultaneously proved fatal as Zimbabwe started exploring the weaknesses, especially of dimunitive Zambian players.

The coach, who seemed frustrated with the results, said in an interview that the defeat was a setback and alleged that the basketball administrators in Zambia were to blame for the loss.
Courtesy of: Times of Zambia
By Abraham Sakala