The Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) male basketball team, Braves, have been declared winners of this year’s Greater Accra Division One Basketball League which ended at the Prisons Courts in Accra on Thursday.
The declaration followed the failure of Reformers, the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) team to present a team to honour a second play-off series to determine the champions of the season.
The rules required a ‘best-of-three’ play-off format that will see the winner of most game being declared the winners of the regional championship.
Braves won the first game and were coasting to a second victory in the second play-off when a power outage caused the game to be abandoned with seven minutes left in the fourth and final quarter.
Organisers rescheduled the game for the final seven minutes to be played Reformers presented only three players instead of 12 players, making it impossible to go ahead with the game.
And when attempts to get Reformers to present the full set of players for the game failed, organisers declared Braves winners since they led 48-42 at the time of the power outage.
Reformers will console themselves with a second position while the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS)team occupy the third position.
Braves also won the women’s league and followed by Reformers second position and the Ghana Police Service (GPS) in third.
Speaking at the trophy presentation ceremony, the Chairman of the Greater Accra Basketball Association (GABA), Mr Ayitey Bulley congratulated the winners for their efforts and lamented the unfortunate incident took the shine off the championship at the final stages.
“The incident left some bitter taste in the mouth but we will correct everything and ensure it does not recur next season,” he stated.
On his part, the Head Coach for Braves, Mr Richard Tony Kweku Borsah described the season as a tough onebut was happy they bounced back to claim the trophy.
He said the team would work hard to give a good account of themselves at the African Club Championships next year.
BY MICHAEL D.ABAYATEYE
