Kumasi, Oct. 27, GNA - Kumasi Technical School (KTI) became the first school from the Ashanti Region to lift the male trophy of the Sprite Ball Basketball Championship over the weekend.

The Amakom-based school showed tremendous skills and courage to beat Kumasi High School (KUHIS) at the semi-final stage before seeing off the highly fancied Prempeh College in a charged game.

Over 30 schools participated in the one day tourney which took place in the Regional capital, Kumasi for the first time.

The championship took place simultaneously at two venues, the Opoku Ware Senior High basketball courts and the Kumasi Anglican School's courts where hundreds of fans gathered to witness the thrilling games.

KTI enjoyed massive support from the home fans in the final game against Prempeh College

after the latter dumped Opoku Ware in the semi-final clash in a keenly contested encounter which

ended 11-10. The athletic looking KTI boys exhibited enough stamina, nimbleness with their passes,

sublime piece of skills and character to ward off the challenge of Prempeh College in a

breathtaking 10-6 win in the final game. The host school, Opoku Ware Senior High atoned for their semi-final blip against Prempeh

College when they beat Kumasi High School (KUHIS) for the third place spot to earn an

automatic berth into the grand finale in Accra on the 19th and 20th December 2009 at the El-Wak

Stadium.

Toasi Senior High (TOSS) scaled the hurdle to dismantle all teams in the Ladies category, including the favourite Kumasi Wesley Girls in the final match to lift the giant trophy.

The pundits and connoisseurs of the game were made to rewrite their notes following the heroic achievement of the unassuming Toasi Senior High. TOSS also beat Yaa Asantewaa Senior High en-route to the final with Yaa Asantewaa making amends in the third place play off by beating St Louis Girls Secondary to qualify for the grand finale in Accra. The first three schools in the boys and girls categories will represent the Ashanti Region at the grand finals.

The Sprite Ball Basketball Championship 2009 is being organised Sprite and co-sponsored by Indomie Noodles, EFPAC, and Latex Foam with support from Ink it, TV Africa, Joy FM, 90 Minutes Newspaper, Ghana News Agency (Sports Desk), Rock FM, Radio Xtacy and produced by Rite Multimedia, leaders in Basketball Development in Ghana.