Wins for St Augustine’s, SOS Senior Schools in basketball opener

The St Augustine’s and SOS Senior Secondary schools have won their opening matches in the 2nd Annual Trust Bank sponsored Basketball Competition for Senior Secondary Schools, which kicked off on Saturday.

St Augustine’s beat Muslim with a 38-19 victory in the early group A kick-off at the Serrekunda West mini-stadium in the Scholar Athletes for Change (SAC) and the Gambia Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) Basketball Competition.

SOS laid a 30-26 score against the Gambia Senior Secondary School in the afternoon at the Serrekunda West.

On the same day in the eight-team tournament, the other group A match between Essau and Daddy Jobe was not played as both teams failed to turn up and, accordingly, are out of the competition.

Armitage went home with maximum points at the expense of opponents Bansang, who did not turn up in the other group B match in the five-day tournament.

The Gambia Senior Secondary School triumphed 38-18 over Armitage in the second group game on Sunday. The other group A matches between Muslim Senior Secondary School against Essau and St. Augustine’s vs Daddy Jobe did not hold as Essau and Daddy Jobe are out of the competition. This goes for the SOS vs Bansang game.

Today’s only game will be another group B contest between SOS and Armitage.

Joe Jallow, Director of Scholar Athletes for Change (SAC), said the basketball competitions for Senior Secondary Schools (boys) started since the 27 November and 8 schools out of fifteen have qualified for the next round which will start on Saturday and is expected to conclude on December 22, 2010.

The main objective of the competitions, according to the organisers, is to help students put into practice the skills they have learnt during a Basketball Camp in August. 

They will also be able to learn from each other and create new friends as citizens of The Gambia as stated in Scholar Athletes for Change’s Strategic Plan 2010 to 2012.       

The competition this year included Senior Secondary Schools in the provinces and also is based on the GSSSA’s zonal demarcations. 

The same competition was organised for the first time in 2009 with Saint Augustine’s Senior Secondary School winning the Giant Trophy donated by Trust Bank Ltd with a Cash Prize of D10,000 and D6,000 for runners up SOS Senior Secondary School.  

A total of 12 schools within the Greater Banjul Area participated and keenly competed for trophies and cash prizes donated by TRUST BANK LTD, YMCA and SAC Finland and AMER SPORTS.