City sides starting to dominate

The National Sports

By JACK AMI
PORT Moresby teams dominated the men’s and women’s divisions of the National Under18 Basketball Championships at the Taurama Aquatic Centre yesterday.
In the women’s matches, Port Moresby 1 were given a scare by Mt Hagen before cruising to a 71-57 win in their quarter-final match.
Port Moresby found themselves without their main offensive weapon after Normalisa Dobunaba fouled out in the third quarter but Deborah Solomon, Bethina Dobunaba and Bray sisters Denienne had enough composure to get the team home.
Mt Hagen’s Fernimore Alphere, Stella Tepra, Shaparha Maipson, Samantha Kitan and Karisma Maipson gave a good account of themselves stretching the city lasses.
The Western Highlanders stayed in range of Port Moresby trailing by a three over fewer baskets over the first three quarters – 16-13, 28-27 and 39-38 – but things quickly went pear-shaped for the Hagen girls in the fourth frame as Port Moresby piled on points with Solomon finishing up with  a match high 24 points.
Hagen’s top scorers were Alphere and Maipson with 15 points each.
In the other women’s games Kerema were a little too strong for Port Moresby 2, beating them 43-30 in an otherwise evenly contested affair.
In the men’s division, the PNG Men’s Basketball League first team knocked off Daru 60-47.
The two Port Moresby teams and NCD remain unbeaten and are vying for the major honours in the semifinals tomorrow.
The two top teams in each pool in the men’s division qualify for the playoffs. In the women’s division, the top four head into the semifinals.
PNG Basketball Federation president Nick Daroa said the presentation of awards and the announcement of the PNG U18 men’s and women’s squads would be made after the finals.
Fixtures: Fri, Sept 30 – 9am – W: Mt Hagen v Chimbu, NCD v Kerema; 10am – Pom 1 v Pom 2;   M: Madang v PMBL 1, 12pm – Daru v Kerema, Kupiano v Mt Hagen; 1.30pm – W:  NCD v Mt Hagen, Pom 1 v Chimbu; 3pm – W: Madang v Kerema, M: NCD v Simbu, 4.30pm – W: Pom 2 v Chimbu, Pom 1 v NCD;  6pm – Madang v Mt Hagen.