Prince Edward (PE) High School basketball team has vowed to end the dominance of their local rivals Churchill when the two lock horns again in the National Association of Secondary Heads Top Schools Under-20 Basketball tournament.
The tournament, formerly known as the Sprite Top Schools Under-20 Basketball tournament, has been set for Saturday and Sunday at Queen Elizabeth and Girls’ High School and 24 boys’ and girls’ teams are expected to take part.
In last year’s tournament at Northlea High Schools in Bulawayo, PE were knocked out in the semi-finals by Churchill who went on to lose to Mutare Boys’ High in the final.
In the Harare Top Schools Basketball Championships held earlier this year in March, Prince Edward finally got their revenge with a 70-61 victory in the final to book a place at this year’s final.
However, while PE thought they had got rid of their rivals, Churchill still managed to sneak their way into the national finals as the best runners-ups from the hosting province after the games were moved from Mutare. PE coach Tapuwa Mangunyana told NewsDay Sport they were looking beyond their rivals despite their proud history in the competition.
“Churchill have been the dominant force in previous years, but they no longer have that aura of invincibility.
We beat them comfortably earlier this year and if it wasn’t because of the fact the tournament was moved from Mutare they would not even be taking part.
“As Prince Edward, we feel we have a very strong team capable of going all the way and we are looking beyond Churchill as we know for a fact that teams from Bulawayo and Mutare will be much stronger,” said Mangunyana.
