Ghana Fire Service has ended its 2019 Accra Basketball League (ABL) Men’s Division campaign on a good note after beating Tema Youth to end the season in third place.
Fire topped Tema Youth 74-64 on Wednesday, November 13 at the Prisons Court in Cantonments, Accra in the ongoing playoffs. The team’s Female side competes tonight at the same venue for third place against Reformers of Prisons at 16:00 GMT.
Fire Center Emmanuel
Ocquaye scored the game’s first points and Daniel Amartey added a three
pointer. Tema scored points in transition and took the game’s lead (14-13) with
2:10 remaining in the quarter from a Kofi Elias off a Brian Kwami pass. Nii Moi
extended Tema’s lead. Dennis Dugbennu drained a three pointer as Fire ended the
quarter trailing 14-20.
Dugbennu tied the game at 22 and Abdul Bashiru scored four straight points to
give Fire a 28-22 lead with 4:40 minutes remaining in the quarter. Kwami drained
a three pointer but Ocquaye and David Okoe scored to put Fire up 32-25 with
2:45 minutes remaining.
Fire slept on defense
allowing Nii Moi to sneak in on a back door cut and score a layup. John Teye
Okumoh scored from the free throw as Fire ended the half leading 35-34.
Tema went on a 10-2 run with Kwaku Arhin scoring to regain the game’s lead
(42-37) as Fire turned the ball over on several possessions before Okumoh
converted three free throws.
Jibril Musah pulled
off a nifty ball fake to score a layup and Philip Amralo converted one of two
free throws to give Fire a 47-46 lead en route to Fire ending the quarter with
a 49-48 lead.
With the game tied at 51 Josiah Karikari drained a three pointer to put Tema up
54-51. Ocquaye tied the game at 57 with a layup off a Tema Youth turnover
with 4:44 minutes remaining in the game.
Ocquaye scored again to put Fire up 59-57 with 3:56 as Kwame Boamah Djan fouled out of the game. Kofi Elias completed a three point play to put Tema up. Ocquaye scored free throws as Fire led 61-60 with 3:14 minutes remaining.
Abdul Bashiru tipped in an offensive layup to give Fire a 65-60 with 1:51 left. Dugbennu scored four points including a jumper to seal a 74-64 Fire win.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
