One school that has been made to lick their wounds more than any other in the Sprite Basketball Championship will undoubtedly be placed at the doorstep of Keta Senior High (Ketasco).
The Volta Regional-based school have made the cut for the finals on three occasions and have missed the boat in all those times.
The three-time finalists are yet to come to terms as to what exactly go wrong when it matters most.
They continue to miss the title narrowly but basketball fans in the country will at least get an opportunity to watch some of the best players from Ketasco in January.
They have remained impregnable in the Volta Region where they have dominated for the past three seasons but that feat will count less as they laced their sneakers for yet another adventure in the capital.
The team’s knack to recover quickly, amazing team spirit and chemistry have been cited as some of the reasons why they have remained resolute in the region.
Indeed no contest in the Volta region captures the imagination of fans like games involving Ketasco and their bitter rivals Keta Business School (Ketabusco).
They have continuously produced sell-out-performance on any given day and could potentially set-up a meeting during the finals in the capital.
For Ketasco, the finals of the prestigious competition will present another chance for revenge having seen their ambitions go up in smoke in the past few years.
The untold story of Ketasco has awed many as they continue their search for a national title in four attempts.
Many have questioned their championship winning attitude after flattering to deceive on many occasions.
Something simply go wrong with the mentality and psyche of the players whenever they play in the grand-finale of the competition.
The team has always presented a strong squad full of depth and quality
Over the past four years, the school has managed to get to the finals of the competition and that for me is no mean achievement and deserves a pat on the shoulder.
But the big question is: Is it enough to get to the finals and always crush out when it matters most?
Certainly the answer will be a big no from any present and old student or even a basketball fanatic.
But unfortunately that has been their story which must urgently be addressed since it’s becoming an albatross on their neck.
They came into the 5th edition of the Sprite Ball Championship brimmed with lots of confidence to end their 4-year wait for the crown but once again they fluffed their lines on the court to hand the trophy to Mfantsipim in a highly entertaining game.
However their semi-final defeat to Mfantsipim went into the history books as the closest and exciting contest witnessed in the seven-year-old competition.
The first half produced thrills and moment of brilliance from the two sides but in the end lack of momentarily concentration once again proved Ketasco’s nemesis as they allowed Mfantsipim to grab the win by the scruff of the neck and with just the buzzer to move into extra-time, chief sniper Morgan grabbed the headlines with an individual effort to win the day 37-35 to send their supporters into raptures.
It was another crippling blow to the ambitions of Ketasco. Another dream went up in flames and the managers of the team will need to do a lot of overhauling in the team before the 8th edition is rolled out on January 10-11 at the El-Wak Sports Stadium and the Aviation Social Centre respectively.
Their supporters have been thirsty for the national title for years and after they were left crestfallen, many questions are beginning to pop out as to whether they will continue to live under the shadows of the oldest school in Ghana.
Familiar faces are expected to be absent but Ketasco has a great history producing new and emerging talents and so are likely to parade an array of new names who could pose a major threat to powerhouses like Mfantsipim, Koforidua Secondary Technical School, Achimota, Armed Forces, Opoku Ware, Prempeh College Presbyterian Boys-Legon, Ghana Secondary and Technical School (GSTS).
