OWASS captain Emmanuel Gyapong

Sprite Ball 2018: Defending champs stunned on Day 1

Kweku Zurek Sports News Jan - 05 - 2018 , 11:01

Defending male and female champions of the Sprite Ball Championship, Opoku Ware School and Wesley Girls School suffered shock losses yesterday when they opened the defence of their titles at the El Wak Stadium.

In Group D, the boys' champions Opoku Ware (OWASS) were stunned 38-27 by Accra-based Sacred Heart Senior High Technical School while in the girls' Group A, Accra Wesley Girls SHS pipped defending champions, Wesley Girls School (Cape Coast) 23-20 in a day of shocks at Ghana's flagship high school basketball tournament.

In what was another massive upset, record four-time winners of the Sprite Ball Championship Mfantsipim School made a disastrous start to the 2017/2018 edition of the basketball tournament losing 45-14 to minnows Osu Presbyterian SHS in their first match.

Last year's losing finalists Mfantsipim failed to recover from a poor start and trailed Osu Presec 15-0 at the halfway stage at the concrete courts of the El Wak Stadium.

Mfantsipim, top seeds in Group A alongside Osu Presec, Keta SHS and Takoradi Technical Institute would be hoping to recover from this setback in subsequent matches while dark horses Osu Presec would have served out a notice to their rivals with their blow-out victory.

Elsewhere in Group B, St Thomas Aquinas SHS buoyed by their vociferous supporters coasted to a 34-19 victory over St Johns School with Prempeh College and Koforiduah Secondary Technical School expected to face off in the other match of the group and in Group C, 2008 Sprite Ball winners Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School were overpowered by Pope John Senior High School 36-19.

TI Ahmadiyya SHS and St Augustine's College will face off in the other Group C clash of the opening round.

Day two of the competition will continue today with the finals slated for Saturday, December 6 with all games scheduled for the El Wak Stadium in Accra.