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Sports Reporter
THE Basketball Union of Zimbabwe will use next month’s inter-provincial tournament to select national Under-16 teams that will compete in the Afro-Basketball qualifiers set for Botswana in April. The inter-provincial tournament will be held in Harare on February 7 and 8. The games will also be used as a preparatory competition for Zimbabwe’s senior national teams that will participate in the Afro-Basketball and All-Africa Games qualifiers in Bulawayo from February 21 to 28.

Joe Mujuru, the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general, said they are expecting four provinces — Bulawayo, Harare, Midlands and Manicaland who have running leagues to participate in the junior and senior categories of the inter-provincial tournament and are waiting for confirmation of other provinces for junior events.

“We are working right round the clock to make sure that the junior and senior inter-provincial tournament is a success in view of forthcoming continental competitions. The senior teams are already having their weekend training camps leaving us to use next month’s competition to select our Under-16s,” said Mujuru.

“The reason we are conducting the Under-16s selection during the inter-provincials is because we see it as cost effective as most of our technical personnel will be in Harare during that time. Each province is expected to bring four teams that’s two seniors and two juniors.”

Zimbabwe’s seniors will compete against Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Angola for a slot in the Afro-Basketball Championships to be co-hosted by Tunisia and Cameroon while the All-Africa Games will be held in Congo-Brazzaville later this year.

Meanwhile, action continues in the Bulawayo Basketball League with men’s league pacesetters Southern Mavericks taking on Nust on Friday evening at Municipals Sports Club before being involved in a potentially exciting encounter with Giants on Saturday.

Highlanders who are second on the table tied on 18 points with Southern Mavericks have relatively easy weekend fixtures playing anchors Stars at 9AM before rounding their programme against Nust later in the day.

In the women’s category Lakers Seniors are expected to dislodge their juniors who are inactive on Saturday when they take on Lupane State University.

 

Fixtures

Friday (Men): Southern Mavericks v Nust (5PM), City Knight v Kaos (5PM)

Saturday

Men: Highlanders v Stars (9AM), Lupane State University v Oilers (11AM), Stars v Kaos (1PM), Highlanders v Nust (3PM), Giants v Southern Mavericks (5PM)

Women: Nust v Hawks (9AM), Highlanders v Lupane State University (11AM), Southern Mavericks v Hawks (1PM), Highlanders v Flame Lily (3PM), Lakers Seniors v Lupane State University (5PM)

Sunday

Men: Lupane State University v Nust (12PM)

Women: Flame Lily v Nust (12PM)

Tables

Men

P W D L F A Dif Pts

Southern Mavericks 8 7 0 1 548 306 242 15

Highlanders 8 7 0 1 491 285 206 15

Giants 7 6 0 1 358 192 166 13

City Knights 9 1 0 8 276 612 -336 10

Lupane State 8 1 0 7 219 525 -306 9

Oilers 5 3 0 2 309 207 102 8

Nust 5 3 0 2 269 200 69 8

Kaos 6 2 0 4 221 278 -57 7

Elephants 4 1 0 3 103 131 -28 3

Stars 2 0 0 2 67 125 -58 2

Women

P W D L F A Dif Pts

Lakers Juniors 9 6 0 3 313 222 91 14

Lakers Seniors 7 6 0 1 419 161 258 13

Southern Mavericks 5 5 0 0 328 85 243 10

Angels 7 3 0 4 250 342 -92 10

Hawks 5 3 0 2 93 109 -16 7

Nust 5 2 0 3 125 166 -41 7

Highlanders 6 2 0 4 93 138 -45 7

Lupane State 6 1 0 5 81 224 -143 6

Flame Lily 6 0 0 6 77 332 -255 5