Vijana Queens beat Young Sisters in WBLA Opener

ZANZIBAR: NATIONAL Basketball League (NBL) women’s champions Vijana Queens began their campaign in the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) 2024 Zone Five Qualifiers with a hard-fought 91-77 victory over Burundi’s Young Sisters.

The opening match was held at the New Amaan Indoor Stadium in Zanzibar over the weekend.

This tournament marks the first time Zanzibar has hosted the prestigious event, which has experienced significant growth since its inception.

In a closely contested match, Young Sisters took an early lead, finishing the first quarter ahead 26-24.

However, Vijana Queens rallied in the second quarter, outscoring their opponents 20-17 to take a narrow 44-43 lead at halftime.

The third quarter saw another lead change, with Young Sisters regaining the upper hand at 54-52. But Vijana Queens surged back, finishing strong with a 22-16 fourth quarter to secure their victory.

Skipper Noela Uwandameno led the team with an impressive 24 points and 11 assists.

Tanzania’s other representative, Fox Divas, faced a tough start, suffering a heavy 105-48 defeat to last year’s AWBL semi-finalists, Rwanda Energy Group (REG).

After trailing 14-11 in the opening minutes, Fox Divas fell behind as REG dominated with runs of 28-13, 22-11, and 33-10 in the following quarters.

Zone title holders Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) made a statement with a 128-36 win over Ethiopia’s Hawassa City in their opening match.

Meanwhile, Equity Bank Hawks of Kenya defeated Burundi’s Gladiators 73-51, kicking off their campaign successfully.

The tournament features eleven teams divided into three groups competing in a round-robin format, with two slots available for the knockout stages.

Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) president Michael Kadebe complemented Vijana Queens for a victory and encouraged both countries’ representatives to do well.

Vijana Queens are in Group A alongside Al Ahly of Egypt, Young Sisters and JKL Ladies of Uganda. Group B includes KPA, APR of Rwanda and Hawassa City, while Group C features Tanzania Divas, Gladiators of Burundi, REG and Equity Bank.

ALSO READ: Vijana, Fox Divas in tough WBLA 2024 Zone Five

Last night, Vijana Queens faced Al Ahly, while Fox Divas went up against Gladiators.

Today’s matches will see both Tanzanian teams in action, with Vijana Queens taking on JKL Ladies and Fox Divas facing Equity Bank.