The early days of Ghana’s biggest High School basketball competition-Sprite Ball Championship-had Ghana’s capital region-Greater Accra-dominate the competition with schools in both female and male divisions score impressive wins. In the boys division, three schools namely Achimota School, Presbyterian Boys Senior School and Armed Forces Senior High School won first place on four occasions. The same level of success was recorded in the female division as the likes of St. Mary’s Senior High School and Sacred Heart Senior High School won the competition on three occasions in the first five years of the tournament.
However, the latter years of the competition have had schools from the region register much less success with no school in either division winning the ultimate title for over five years. One of such schools to fall in this bracket is Tema Senior High School popularly known as TEMASCO. The school’s best result in the tournament till date is a silver medal win in the 2012 edition where the female side fell to shock winners Yaa Asantewaa Girls Senior High School from the Ashanti Region.
The side was a well drilled side that played right up to the level of the school’s motto, “Nil Nisi Optima” meaning nothing but the best is good enough”. The team’s quest for what would have been a first national title, sadly ended in second place behind the surprise challenge from the ladies from the Ashanti region but was equally good enough for the side to topple consecutive winners Sacred Heart from the top spot into third place. Sacred Heart had won back to back titles in 2009 and 2010 and looked good for a third straight championship win prior to a defeat in the final four and subsequently the chance to score the first three peat achievement in the competition.
That feat would later be achieved by Mfantsipim School who won the national title in a row in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Since the glory days, Tema has stumbled into obscurity albeit championship-wise as the side has failed to feature among the top spots in Sprite Ball. It is much worse for the school’s boys division as the side is yet to feature at the main championship in the first place not to mention competing for a medal spot.
In the ten year history of Sprite Ball, the school’s male side has failed to make an appearance among the list of schools for the main competition. The strength of former winner Presbyterian Boys, Accra Academy, Accra High School and 2017 new entrants Osu Presbyterian Senior High School’s male side. The Tema zonal competition is yet to take place and the chance to finally make the roster at the main competition is one opportunity that will be terrible for the side to miss.
For the female side, a chance to represent in the tournament without using the wild card option like it did in the 2016 edition where it had to rely on a poll to gain entry into the competition. The best achievement is within the grasp of Tema Senior High School and nothing but the best effort will see it slip by.
