Osu Hawks win Rush Community Basketball Tournament
Osu Hawks last Sunday kept their 10-week unbeaten record intact when they defeated Ashaiman Tigers 80-74 to win the Rush Community Basketball Tournament held at the Accra Polytechnic multi-purpose court in Accra.
Advertisement
The Hawks finished tops of the regular season with eight points ahead the three other semi-finalists -Tema Sharks, Ashaiman Tigers and Tudu Warriors -who were tied on seven points heading into the finals.
Their superiority throughout the tournament was felt especially in the second semi-finals, where Benjamin Debrah and Emmanuel Dickson exhibited rare skills, making it possible for them to brush aside Tudu Warriors 62-47 to book a spot in the finals.
The Hawks, coached by Dua Daniel Sowah, also dealt expertly with the unruly behaviour of the Tudu Warriors’ supporters who staged a court invasion in the second quarter as their team struggled to cope in the face of an unrelenting attacking forays.
In contrast, the Hawks’ opponents in the final, Ashaiman Tigers, required overtime to edge past Tema Sharks 88-79 in the first semi-final, after their clash ended 74-74 in normal time.
The final started at 10 pm at the flood-lit arena and there was no doubt about who would bag the $3,000 at stake after the Hawks raced into a deserved 16-11 lead at the end of an intense first quarter.
They suffered a mini-scare in the second quarter when the Tigers scored 23 points as compared to their 20 to reduce their lead to just two points.
A solid defensive performance inspired by Benjamin Debrah in the third quarter handed the Hawks a 60-50 lead, while Emmanuel Dickson's shooting capped an impressive 80-74 result in the fourth quarter.
Osu Hawks were presented with $3,000 at midnight and a trophy as winners of the competition while Ashaiman Tigers received $1,500 for placing second with GHC 1,500 as well as products from Adidas Ghana going to the Most Valuable Player, Emmanuel Dickson of Osu Hawks.
