Dar City, JKT Stars dominate BDL quarterfinal playoffs

DAR ES SALAAM: DAR City and JKT Stars continue to assert dominance in the men’s and women’s categories of the Basketball Dar es Salaam League (BDL), with victories in the first games of the quarter-final playoffs held on Tuesday evening at Don Bosco Oysterbay, Dar es Salaam.

Organised by Dar es Salaam Basketball (DB), the best-of-three quarter-final playoffs began on Tuesday and will run until Sunday, October 13th.

Eight men’s and eight women’s teams qualified for the playoffs after advancing through a fiercely competitive two-leg round-robin regular season.

Defending champions, Dar City kicked off their quarterfinal campaign with a commanding 79-45 win over Srelio.

Victor Mwoka led Dar City with 21 points, 15 rebounds and a stellar overall performance, setting the tone for the defending champions.

On the women’s side, JKT Stars made a strong statement with a decisive 78-53 victory over Polisi. Sara Budodi emerged as the star player for JKT Stars, contributing 14 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists to secure their opening win.

Both Dar City and JKT Stars will face their respective opponents again in the second game of the series on Saturday, October 12th. The results will determine whether the teams advance directly to the semifinals or if a third and deciding game will be necessary.

The league continued yesterday evening with two additional quarterfinal games. On the women’s side, DB Troncatti took on Pazi Queens, while UDSM Outsiders faced Vijana City Bulls in the men’s category.

In the men’s category, eight teams advanced to the playoffs from a competitive field of 16.

Defending champions, Dar City, topped the standings with 57 points from 30 matches, followed by UDSM Outsiders with 55 points. The 2022 champions, Savio, finished third with 53 points, tied with JKT, who also earned 53 points but finished fourth.

Mchenga Stars came in fifth with 52 points, while ABC (49 points), Vijana City Bulls (45 points) and Srelio (44 points) rounded out the playoff qualifiers.

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For the women’s category, JKT Stars led the pack with 58 points. DB Troncatti finished second with 56 points, closely followed by Tausi Royals with 55 points. Last season’s undefeated champions, Vijana Queens, faced stiffer competition this year, finishing fourth with 55 points.

Jeshi Stars (53 points), BD Lioness (50 points), Pazi Queens (50 points) and Polisi Stars (47 points) complete the women’s playoff bracket.

As the playoffs progress, all eyes will be on whether the defending champions in both categories can maintain their winning momentum and secure another BDL title