Koloko go unbeaten to claim Rising Stars crown
Koloko went unbeaten on their way to claiming the inaugural Rising Stars Basketball Tournament crown after putting 49-39 past Opps in the championship final at Deutsche Höhere Privatschule Windhoek (DHPS) last weekend.
The eventual champions entered the title match as the only unbeaten side among the five teams and made it five wins from five after seeing off Opps for a second time on the day.
Koloko led 30-27 after the opening 15-minute half before tightening their grip on the encounter after the break, outscoring Opps 19-12 to close out the 10-point victory.
The result completed a dominant run that had already seen Koloko win all four of their round-robin encounters. They opened with a 37-30 victory over eventual finalists Opps before putting 61-38 past Namballers.
Koloko then handed Kibulo their first defeat at the event with a convincing 56-29 result before rounding off the preliminary stage by beating Team Allies 70-42.
Their four victories gave them eight points and ensured they had already booked their place in the championship match before the final round-robin encounter between Kibulo and Namballers determined who would join them.
Kibulo let final berth slip
Kibulo entered that encounter with two wins and one defeat and had their destiny in their own hands.
Having beaten Team Allies 48-32 and Opps 56-47 before losing 56-29 to Koloko, another victory would have taken Kibulo to three wins from four and secured second place outright. Namballers, however, spoiled those plans with a 42-38 victory.
The result left Kibulo, Opps and Namballers all locked on two wins and two defeats, with each collecting four points from the round-robin stage. Even their head-to-head results could not immediately separate them.
Kibulo had beaten Opps 56-47. Opps responded by beating Namballers 69-50, while Namballers completed the circle by defeating Kibulo 42-38.
With each side therefore holding one victory and one defeat against the other two, point difference became decisive in determining who would meet Koloko for the title.
Opps held the advantage after scoring 203 points and conceding 180 across their four matches for a point difference of +23. Kibulo finished on -6 after scoring 171 and conceding 177, while Namballers’ 182 points scored and 207 conceded left them on -25.
Opps’ championship berth
That gave Opps the second championship berth despite starting their campaign with back-to-back losses against Koloko and Kibulo.
They had kept themselves alive by bouncing back to beat Team Allies 57-37 before closing their round-robin campaign with a 69-50 victory over Namballers.
The latter result ultimately proved crucial, not only giving Opps their second win but also boosting the point difference that eventually carried them into the final. They could not, however, turn their second chance into the title, as Koloko once again had their number.
After beating Opps by seven points in their first meeting, Koloko stretched the winning margin to 10 when the championship was on the line. The champions walked away with N$7 000 for their efforts, while Opps received N$3 000 as runners-up.
Ntaagona walks away in fresh Kobes
Koloko’s Titus Ntaagona added individual honours to his team’s championship after being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). His prize included a fresh pair of Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch” sneakers.
Ntaagona said ending the full day of hoops with both the championship and individual recognition left him grateful.
“I feel blessed, grateful for winning the MVP. The tournament was very great. Punctuality was on point. I’m grateful to be here,” he said.
The tournament also included individual competitions between the round-robin matches, with Mevin Mutakalilumo winning the shooting contest and Jone Pina taking the one-on-one competition.
Fossi pleased with first edition
Basketball player Diandra Fossi organised the tournament as an off-season platform during the Khomas Basketball Association (KBA) League break, allowing established teams to compete while players could also form their own sides.
Fossi described the first edition as a success.
“I liked that the teams showed up. I liked that we had a positive crowd who was engaged in the tournament. Everything went as planned, even more so if I can say that. It was a positive outcome. I really hope that people liked it,” she said.
She hopes the Rising Stars tournament can return and eventually expand to include a women’s competition.
“I really hope that will be possible, but with all the little things that we face, it’s really going to be difficult if teams don’t collaborate early. But I really hope [another edition] will be possible,” Fossi said.
Fossi also thanked her organising team, officials and other individuals who assisted with staging the tournament, as well as her family, who sponsored and supported the event.
“My sponsors were my family. The moment I spoke about the event, they immediately supported me,” she said.
