The Sasol u25 AmaWheelie Girls national team hosted the Republic Democratic of Congo and Ethiopia at Mandeville Arena Sports Club for the IWBF U25 Women’s Wheelchair Basketball World Championship qualifiers.
The AmaWheelie Girls were off to a good start as they won their first game against DR Congo, Simphiwe Manqele and Ongezwa Hagu had a great performance, Simphiwe managed to score 14 points making her the top scorer in the game. In the first half of the game both teams seemed to be neck on neck however the AmaWheelie Girls proved to be stronger and dominated their opponents. They won the match 50-28.
In the second game of the tournament SA played against Ethiopia, the visitors seemed to be a great challenge to the hosts, both teams missed ample opportunities to score as both teams continued to put pressure on each other. SA was leading by 18-16 in the first half of the game. The AmaWheelie Girls left no room for error in the second half of the game as they dominated the visitors. The SA national team won their game against Ethiopia by 37-26.
Coach Trooper Johnson was pleased with the results as it was his first appearance with the women’s team as a coach for an international game.
“I am happy with the way my team performed on the court today. This is my debut of coaching these young ladies at this level and they have shown great potential. I am proud that their confidence has been boosted and believe that they will continue to give their star quality performance in upcoming matches. Playing two games in one day and being able to win both games convincingly is a great start to the tournament”.
Nozipho Mbatha, Sasol Senior Manager: Group Brand and Sponsorship, commended the ladies for their performance: As Sasol we continue to pride ourselves for being in partnership with Wheelchair Basketball South Africa and we would like to congratulate our ladies on their stellar performance today. Playing and winning two games at margins at which they did is no small feat. That’s what living the impossible is about – taking challenges head on and conquering them. May the upcoming games also be as fulfilling and wish them the best of luck.”
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