Elite’s all-school final, Maryhill’s resurgence headline JOVOC Open

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Maryhill High School, Mbarara, and Elite High School, Entebbe, clinched the girls' and boys' titles, respectively, at the 12th edition of the St Joseph’s Vocational School Basketball (JOVOC Open) Championship, held over the weekend at the Mbarara City school courts.

Maryhill, led by eventual girls’ most valuable player (MVP) Gift Owomugisha, reclaimed the title after a nine-year wait with a hard-fought 16-13 victory over former champions Ndejje SS in a tense final played under floodlights.

Their journey to the title was marked by a strong semifinal performance, where they came from six points down to defeat defending champions Elite High School 27-20. Meanwhile, Ndejje SS secured their place in the final after overcoming Nyakasura 16-11.

Rev Fr Christopher Katono (black) awards JOVOC Basketball Open girls’ champions Maryhill High School.

In the boys’ final, Elite High School dominated, with both their A and B teams making it to the championship match.

However, it was the B team that pulled off a surprise 9-7 victory to claim the title.

En route to the final, the champions eliminated pre-tournament favourites Bethel Covenant with a commanding 39-23 win, while Elite A defeated Ndejje SS 36-20 in the semifinals.

Speaking at the event, tournament organiser Alex Byamukama emphasised the significance of the championship in talent identification and exposure.

He urged the local basketball governing body, FUBA, to support the tournament by providing training clinics for umpires and coaches and formally including it in their calendar.

FUBA vice president Hudson Ssegamwenge, who presided over the event, pledged the federation’s support for similar tournaments across the country.

“I want to thank the host head teacher for organising such a massive basketball event and partnering with the federation to promote the game in the western region. As a federation, we are very grateful, and we will explore ways to support such tournaments nationwide,” Ssegamwenge said.

FUBA’s annual calendar includes tournaments such as the UCU Invitational and Elite Schools Basketball Open Championships, among others.

Tumwebaze Joshua (red) of Elite High team B goes for a layup during the JOVOC Open basketball championship. Elite B won the boys' accolade.

Host head teacher Rev. Fr. Christopher Bafaki Katono also committed to further improving the tournament in future editions.

“I want to thank all the schools that continue to honour our invitation and for supporting talent development among our children. I also congratulate the winners and all participants. We promise to enhance this tournament in the years to come,” he said.

The JOVOC Open is an annual competition open to all Ugandan secondary schools, both boys and girls, organised by St Joseph’s Vocational School, Mbarara. Its primary objective is to develop basketball talent from the grassroots level.