Before a partisan crowd at the Prisons Court in Cantonments earlier today, Ghana Air Force couldn’t hold its nerve as it crashed in the final quarter en route to a series opening loss in the 2021 Accra Basketball League (ABL) Women’s Division Playoffs.
Reformers of Prisons topped Air Force 44-36 in a contest that lived up to the billing in the second half after a languid opening half. Reformers hold a 1-0 series lead and another win gets them into the finals.
Match Report
With 3:28 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Reformers trailed 10-12. Berlinda Acquah gave Reformers the lead with a three pointer. Ezequeen Dadzie made a big block and scored on a fast break to put Prisons up 15-14. Memuna Mumuni and Prisons’ Christabel Edem traded baskets to close out the first half with Reformers leading 17-16.
Prisons scored six points in the early minutes of the third quarter with Dadzie scoring and Frances Alstyne scoring a layup off an Acquah assist. Grace Yinamyah and Mumuni scored for Air Force as the team trailed 20-23 after 3:37 minutes played.
Edem delivered a huge block on Magdalene Fiamekor. Yinamyah buried two free throws and Naa Dedei scored a jumper to tie the game at 24 with 3:45 minutes remaining.
In a frantic sequence to close out the quarter, the teams traded baskets with Thelma Dawson-Armoah and Edem getting points for Reformers and Dedei and Mumuni scoring for Air Force. The quarter ended tied at 30.
Air Force struggled to contain the taller Reformers front court players especially Dadzie and resorted to sending them to the charity stripe. Prisons shot poorly though and missed out on building a lead heading to the final quarter.
Yinamyah put Air Force up 32-30 with a jumper to open the final quarter. Reformers scored a layup to tie the game again off an Air Force turnover. Dawson-Armoah and Edem scored crucial points to give Reformers a 39-32 lead with 5:02 minutes remaining.
Edem’s near coast to coast drive set up the layup that got Reformers into the 40 point column. Reformers won 44-36. Air Force missed huge opportunities from the free throw line and easy layup attempts that cost them a possible win.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
