Western Cape Mountaineers player Talita Memani speaks on the team’s preparations ahead of their 2022 Basketball National League title victory at Mandeville Indoor on Sunday, 23 October.
The winners defeated Egoli Magic 64-58, after leading the first two quarters of the game.
In the first quarter the team led 19-15 and 20-13 in the second, but fell behind in the last two quarters, where they were 11-14 and 14-16.
Previously, in the semi-finals, it was a close call to get through, but the Western Cape side put up a fighting spirit until the last whistle against Tshwane Suns to win 51-50.
Speaking on the team’s preparation for the past season, Memani said: “This year was full of amazing things and surprises. Coming from a loss, we knew this year was going to be tough, but we prepared ourselves by training 3 hours a day. We knew we wanted to win the championship. My team was physically, emotionally, mentally prepared for the tournament.”
Memani who won her first MVP accolade in the opening game didn’t believe that she played a huge role in the team.
“My role in the Mountaineers Team – at the start I didn’t know I played I huge role in the team. But I started knowing my role when we were only 2 power forwards in the team. In my mind I had to do everything; defence, rebounding, boxing out and scoring, I mean everything. Playing with experienced players is not an easy thing to do. I won my first MVP in the first game. It felt amazing.”
During this campaign, Mountaineers remained unbeaten with the semi-final round being the Mountaineers’ toughest match.
“We won all the 4 round robin games. The semi-final was one of the toughest games in the tournament this year. The game against Tshwane Suns was about to end, the score was a tie and seconds left. Because of my strong strength, I was able to get a rebound and they fouled me, so I had to make 1 or 2 free throws. The venue was packed with people and everyone was looking at me and I was so nervous. So, I missed the first one, but I made the last one. So, we won the game because of that. That was one of the biggest moments of my life. To conclude winning the championship this year was incredible and it feels amazing. Our championship means a lot the Western Cape Province as a whole. The championship means a lot to me, my family, my community,” Memani concluded.
Photo 1 Caption: Western Cape Mountaineers player Talita Memani speaks on the team’s preparations ahead of their 2022 Basketball National League title victory. Photo: Supplied
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
