Mogotlhwane advances to the final

BONGANI MALUNGA

Letang Mogotlhwane’s Sneakers Stingrays have advanced to the Grand Finale of the Singapore Netball Super League scheduled to take place this weekend, they will face Blaze Dolphins for the top prize. Mogotlhwane has now joined the likes of Judith Mawela, Tebogo Radipotsane and Violet Oneile as the only Batswana players to ever grace the final.
Of the aforementioned list, only Mawela has won the championship (in 2012 as she helped beat Radipotsane’s side to win the title). Mogotlhwane stands a chance to emulate Mawela’s achievements as her side attempts to win the league this weekend.
Her club qualified for the final after beating Magic Marlins 44-40 in the semifinals. Their triumph was unique in the sense that Marlins were the top seeded team going into the post season stage, they boasted the best regular season record.
However, Mogotlhwane and her teammates proved that regular season form counts for nothing in the post season as they eliminated the Marlins. Prior to the clash, the Marlins had only lost one game against Hildah Binang’s Tiger Sharks all season long.
Mogotlhwane’s next opponents, the Blaze Dolphins, will go into the final as the underdogs because they were the fourth seeded team going into the post season. Stingrays will be the favourites because they boast a 100 percent record against the Dolphins after beating them twice this season, past meetings this season suggest that Mogotlhwane and her teammates could be in a better position to win the title.
Binang and Mogotlhwane improved their teams
Binang and Mogotlhwane joined their respective clubs towards the end of the first round. They both started their campaigns with defeats but they managed to turn their performances around and lead their teams to better positions.
Both players’ teams were initially third and fourth placed clubs before their arrivals but Mogotlhwane led her club to a second place finish while Binang improved her side from fourth to third during the regular season. Binang’s side was eliminated by the Dolphins in the semifinals last week.