By Twimepoki Mangani
Lilongwe, Mana: Bravehearts male and female Basketball clubs claimed honours in both men and women’s category during BASMALS National Championship basket ball games that were held from 1 to 3 April at Civo and Blue Gym courts in Lilongwe.
Bravehearts Men marginally edged Central Knights in the finals which ended 53-50, while Bravehearts Ladies beat University of Lilongwe Archangels 59-37.
Speaking after the victory, Bravehearts Basketball Assistant Manager, Dominic Munyenyembe, said the Championship was a great experience as their opponents gave them strong opposition.
“It is has been a while since these games were last played dating back to 2017. Playing against Central Knights was difficult as they made it challenging for us to defend the title,” he said.
Munyenyembe further said the team keeps working hard as they use such tournaments to continue preparations for upcoming international games.
“It is never easy for us to win as other people may suggest because we win through training and hard work which enable us to compete at higher levels, but we understand we still have a long way to go,” he said.
Captain of Bravehearts ladies, Tamanda Mazulu, said she was pleased with the victory having done better tactically than their rivals Archangels.
“We recently lost to Archangels in the Central Basketball Zone League finals and that was because we lacked mental preparation and discipline.
“However, during these finals, we faced a tough team but our coordination was better, eventually we won,” she said.
Edgar Ng’ong’ola, former General Secretary of BASMAL and coach of Malawi Assemblies of God Universities (MAGU), hailed Bravehearts for their hard work.
Ng’ong’ola further highlighted the need for BASMAL to annually organise the championship matches for better development of the game.
“It was a brilliant event and the level of competition has increased. My appeal to BASMAL and other stakeholders is that these games should be held every year,” he appealed.
Apart from winning the trophies, Bravehearts Clubs also swept off individual awards as Manelo Munthali was voted the most valuable player (MVP) in the men’s category while Mary Chibweke outshined in the women’s category.