Slam-dunk for Gauteng basketball
The grand finale turned out to be a stunning advertisement for local wheelchair basketball as it came to an intense and dramatic end.
GAUTENG snatched a 58-54 victory over the North West province to be crowned the 2015 Vodacom Wheelchair Basketball Challenge champions and the deserving recipients of R100 000 in prize money. The final took place at Vodacom World in Midrand on Saturday, November 14
The Gauteng team had to ward off a serious challenge from the defending champions as the two sides battled for the top prize in South African wheelchair basketball.
The grand finale turned out to be a stunning advertisement for local wheelchair basketball as it came to an intense and dramatic end.
The two sides were neck-on-neck for the majority of the match with Gauteng going into the halftime break with a narrow 28-27 lead. In the final quarter North West managed to gain a six-point lead and as the clock counted down, the victory seemed a mere formality.
Gauteng launched a valiant fightback while North West lost composure in the dying moments of the match and their discipline allowed the opposition to claim the victory.
Due to the close nature of the match, Vodacom’s Bronson Mokabela, the executive head sponsorship and regional marketing, announced that North West would be awarded R25 000 for their efforts.
In the curtain-raiser Vodacom Bulls players swopped their boots for wheelchairs as they were taken out of their comfort zone trading rugby poles for hoops and they soon learned that wheelchair basketball is both physically and mentally demanding.
It was the second consecutive year the event was hosted at Vodacom World, where a mobile court was assembled.
Last year Vodacom made a major financial contribution to fund the court for the use of Wheelchair Basketball South Africa’s (WBSA) development programmes.
With its aim of making a tangible difference in the development of wheelchair basketball in the country, Vodacom donated 12 specialised wheelchairs to WBSA. Specialised wheelchairs are generally expensive and players often have to use the chairs they use for everyday life to practice the sport they love.
