It has come up that an alleged strange power outage accounted for the abrupt end of the Prisons – Braves play-offs basketball game at the Prisons Court, Cantonments in Accra last Saturday.
Prisons (Reformers) started the game well and picked an early lead scoring Braves of GRA 13-9. The same situation was the case in the second quarter where they extended the lead at the half by 16 points with half time score 33-17.
The 3rd quarter started with a quick increase in the deficit to 19 points, and that was when the game changed. Braves scored in large numbers and quick successions while neutralising the Reformers of a prisons offence and cleared the 19 points deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter with scores at 40-40.
The momentum was on and Braves immediately took a 6 points lead at the 4th quarter before it started drizzling with Nii Kwate of Braves at the free throw line to shoot two free throws, but the game was stopped. After a while the rains stopped and the court was cleaned dry by the supporters of Braves and for the continuation of the game. Officials were on court ready to blow the whistle for the continuation of the game when the lights on the court went off. All attempts by the league organisers and Greater Accra Basketball executives to get to the switch proved futile. Prisons officers who could go into the yard to put the lights on refused to do so, and while the executives tried to get there, they were refused entry.
There was light everywhere but the court, clearly showing that the black out was an intentional act to stop the game and hope for a replay.
First quarter points: 13-9
Second quarter points: 33-17
Third quarter points: 40-40
Fourth quarter points 42-48
In favour of Braves of GRA
Braves came back due to the change in defensive tactics and established a more potent offence which Reformers of Prisons couldn’t find answers to.
And speaking on what might have accounted for the blackout, Head coach of Braves, Richard Tony Kweku Borsah said, “…Braves was aggrieved because they thought the game was in their hands. They thought Prisons had deliberately put off the lights so the match couldn’t continue. Braves were up by six points with seven minutes to go.”
Director of Greater Accra Basketball League, Alex Kukula, and Vice President of Ghana Basketball Association also said “…we can only speculate that what happened was delibrate or not, for me, for the whole Prisons Headquarters lights to go off is serious. Let’s keep calm and find solution to this.”