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KTA Pressure...
Champions KTA All-Stars had a good weekend... |
There is only one
week left in the National Basketball League (NBL) regular season and reigning champions
KTA All-Stars will be smiling after a weekend in which they took a big step towards
reaching the playoffs.
KTA came into
this weekend’s action in sixth place and nervously looking into the top four playoff
spots.
The champions faced
real danger of missing the playoffs but thanks to a 67-24 win over LCE this
afternoon and a costly slip by NUL Rovers, KTA have their playoff destiny – and
title defence – in their own hands.
Rovers,
meanwhile, will be kicking themselves because they were in control of fourth
place, but two sloppy days have cost them dearly.
The weekend immediately
got off to a bad start for Rovers as they lost 65-49 to Leseli Tigers on Friday
night at Lehakoe Club. Rovers then suffered a crushing 45-41 loss at home to lowly
Limkokwing University on Saturday which gave KTA the opening to steal fourth
place.
KTA didn’t have
things all their own way in that quest.
They were beaten
63-55 by second-placed Lichocha Shooting Rifles on Saturday in Roma, a defeat
that will again raise questions over KTA’s credentials when the top four title playoffs
begin.
However, KTA,
who have won three of the past four NBL titles, will think about that later. They
beat 69-27 Bokamoso North in their other game on Saturday and climbed into
fourth with this afternoon’s 67-24 thumping of LCE.
The rest of the
top four appears settled.
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| KTA are fourth with one week to go... |
Log leaders Bokamoso
South, who were beaten in the NBL finals by KTA last season, and Lichocha will
be there. Third-placed Bashana Baheso, winners of their last four games, and
KTA will most likely be there as well when the NBL season begins its business
end.
In the ladies
league, reigning champions Lichocha Shooting Rifles emphatically returned to
the top of the table with a 100-12 mauling of Limkokwing University this
afternoon at Lehakoe. The win was a bounce-back after Lichocha lost 43-36 to KTA
ladies on Saturday in Roma. The champions are one point ahead of Bokamoso North
who demolished KTA 41-8 on Saturday to make it five wins in a row.
With just a week
to play, the top four teams for the playoffs in the ladies league are all but
decided. Lichocha, Bokamoso North, NUL Rovers and KTA All-Stars will contest
the national title.
All that is left
is to decide the seedings. The NBL league season is scheduled to end next
Sunday before the playoffs start.
NBL
Weekend Results:
Friday
(Lehakoe):
A-League
Leseli Tigers
65-49 NUL Rovers
Saturday
(NUL):
A-League
KTA All-Stars
69-27 Bokamoso North
NUL Rovers 41-45
Limkokwing University
Lichocha Shooting
Rifles 63-55 KTA All-Stars
Bokamoso South
76-25 LCE
Ladies
KTA All-Stars
8-41 Bokamoso North
Lichocha Shooting
Rifles 45-21 NUL Rovers
Lichocha Shooting
Rifles 36-43 KTA All-Stars
NUL 62-8 Limkokwing
University
B-League
Lichocha
Shooting Rifles 20-0 Bashana Baheso
Lichocha
Shooting Rifles 28-30 South Warriors
South Warriors
20-0 Leseli Tigers
Sunday
(Lehakoe):
A-League
Bokamoso North
59-56 Khubestate
Lichocha
Shooting Rifles 66-54 Limkokwing University
LCE 24-67 KTA
All-Stars
Ladies
Bashana Baheso 44-75 Leseli
Tigers
Lichocha
Shooting Rifles 100-12 Limkokwing University
LCE 0-20 KTA
All-Stars
B-League
Bashana Baheso 0-0 Leseli
Tigers
NBL
Standings:
A-League
|
|
P
|
Points
|
W
|
L
|
PF
|
PA
|
Diff
|
Last 10
|
Streak
|
1
|
Bokamoso
South
|
18
|
35
|
17
|
1
|
1143
|
703
|
9-1
|
440
|
W9
|
2
|
Lichocha
|
18
|
33
|
15
|
3
|
1321
|
758
|
8-2
|
563
|
W6
|
3
|
Bashana
Baheso
|
16
|
29
|
13
|
3
|
923
|
584
|
8-2
|
339
|
W4
|
4
|
KTA
All-Stars
|
17
|
29
|
12
|
5
|
951
|
770
|
8-2
|
181
|
W1
|
5
|
NUL
Rovers
|
17
|
27
|
10
|
7
|
879
|
736
|
6-4
|
143
|
L2
|
6
|
Leseli
Tigers
|
17
|
25
|
9
|
8
|
882
|
913
|
5-5
|
-31
|
W1
|
7
|
Bokamoso
North
|
19
|
24
|
5
|
14
|
651
|
956
|
3-7
|
-305
|
W1
|
8
|
Lerotholi
|
20
|
24
|
5
|
15
|
754
|
1155
|
2-8
|
-401
|
L3
|
9
|
Limkokwing
|
19
|
23
|
4
|
15
|
658
|
958
|
4-6
|
-300
|
L1
|
10
|
Khubestate
|
18
|
22
|
6
|
12
|
639
|
837
|
3-7
|
-198
|
L2
|
11
|
LCE
|
18
|
20
|
2
|
16
|
588
|
1035
|
1-9
|
-447
|
L9
|
Ladies
|
|
P
|
Points
|
W
|
L
|
PF
|
PA
|
Diff
|
Last 10
|
Streak
|
1
|
Lichocha
|
15
|
28
|
13
|
2
|
693
|
366
|
8-2
|
327
|
W1
|
2
|
Bokamoso
North
|
15
|
27
|
13
|
2
|
494
|
177
|
9-1
|
317
|
W5
|
3
|
NUL
Rovers
|
14
|
24
|
10
|
4
|
470
|
277
|
6-4
|
193
|
L1
|
4
|
KTA
All-Stars
|
14
|
23
|
9
|
5
|
503
|
390
|
7-3
|
113
|
W2
|
5
|
Leseli
Tigers
|
14
|
19
|
6
|
8
|
500
|
426
|
4-6
|
74
|
W1
|
6
|
Bashana
Baheso
|
14
|
17
|
6
|
8
|
402
|
373
|
5-5
|
29
|
L2
|
7
|
Bokamoso
South
|
13
|
14
|
3
|
9
|
229
|
456
|
3-7
|
-227
|
L1
|
8
|
Limkokwing
|
14
|
12
|
1
|
13
|
97
|
653
|
0-10
|
-556
|
L12
|
9
|
LCE
|
14
|
10
|
0
|
14
|
126
|
420
|
0-10
|
-294
|
L13
|
