TANZANIA : Jeshi Stars maul Vijana Queens

eshi stars thrashed Vijana Queens 79-14 in a one-sided encounter of the ongoing Dar es Salaam regional basketball league at the National Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

Jeshi Stars almost dominated the game and could have won by a bigger margin had they fully exploited all chances that came their way.

Experienced Jeshi Stars players Jabu Shaaban, Lucy Augustine, Annomisiata Anthony, Faraja Malaki and Joyce Midodi made the most of their chances and scored points almost at will to maintain a wide margin throughout the four quarters.

Faraja scored game-high 19 points; Jabu had 14 points while Joyce added nine for Jeshi Stars who commanded 16-6 lead in the first quarter.

Tukusubira David was Vijana Queens’ highest scorer with six points followed by Mariam Kiwelo who scored five points and Yasmin Delaware with three.

Despite enjoying a strong backing from a sizeable crowd, young Vijana Queens players were the culprits of a series of missed opportunities contributed by poor shooting and had to opt for a defensive game for the better part of the match.

Vijana, who were led by the lively Mariam, however managed to put pressure on their opponents at times in the first quarter and scored points through their dependable scorer Tukusubira.

Vijana could hardly catch up with their opponents in the next two quarters as Jeshi Stars solidified their defense by bringing on the likes of Joyce and Veronica Kubilu who easily thwarted Vijana moves.

Vijana’s coach John Mcharo threw in towering Yasmin, Margreth Nicholaus and Johari Kiseko in an attempt to counter Jeshi Stars’ onslaught in the last two quarters but energetic Jeshi Stars players’ determination never waned.

Jeshi Stars’ Jabu was a constant threat to Vijana Queens in the last quarter in which she finished her team mates’ moves by expertly slotting in a series of three-pointers to put the game beyond Vijana’s reach.

Not even last minutes free-throws slotted in by Yasmin could help Vijana Queens change the course of the game and Jeshi Stars eventually came out smiling as the win gave them a perfect start to their title chase.