Bricks on Saturday snatched the Southern Zone Basketball League (Sozobal) title from Magang’a following a 61-44 win in the playoffs’ finals at Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC).
However, they had to endure the agony of going home with a meagre K100 000 first prize for all the sweat throughout the season as the league entered the eighth season without corporate sponsorship.
Despite that, such agony could not be read on their faces as they beamed with smiles after receiving their prize money and trophy from Sozobal chairperson Stabene Malange-Majamanda, who was accompanied by Basketball Association of Malawi (Basmal) president Hamlet Kamtengeni.
“It feels great to be the Sozobal champions today. We know the prizes are not appetising due to lack of sponsorship, but the title is more important to us,” said Bricks captain Chripin Makaka, whose teammate Victor Jere emerged as the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Magang’a received K60 000 as runners-up while Crazy Warriors, who beat Poly Bobcats 82-48 in the third-place encounter, got K40 000.
The top-three teams have qualified for the National Basketball Championships set for December, according to Sozobal publicist Kondwani Kabowa.
Malange-Majamanda has since appealed to the corporate world to sponsor the league, whose play-offs this year had a wheelchair basketball match as curtain-raiser.
