Day one of the Nigeria Premier Basketball League saw some mouthwatering games take place at the basketball court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with three of the four teams that started on the front foot falling to defeat.
Lagos Legends and Nigeria Customs served as the curtain raiser. Customs started like a house on fire, taking the first quarter 26-17 and eventually the second but with only two points. In the third quarter, Customs who looked in control began to capitulate and soon gave way to Legends who pulled away with a four point lead. At the blast of the final whistle, Customs’ early fire was officially quenched with Lagos Legends, grabbing a 78-66 victory. Customs’ Favour Aboje put in a great shift, scoring a game high 28 points but his efforts were not enough to get his side the victory.
The second game of the day which saw Kano Pillars take on Gboko City Chiefs, took similar shape as Pillars who led all four quarters, 16-12, 30-23, 44-37 and 48-40, were dealt a huge blow, courtesy of good closing defense and clutch Abel Offia shots in the final 31 seconds. Pillars started aggressively, controlled the game and did well to limit Chiefs who found it hard to get points on board, but lost out at the death. The encounter ended 50 – 52.
With the results going the way of the slow starters, Kwara Falcons were determined to break the jinx but the lack of squad depth proved a problem. The first quarter ended 17-21 in favour of the Falcons, as did the second, ending 34-37. The men from Abuja soon found their rhythm taking a small but huge two point lead into the fourth and final quarter, which they did not fail to build on, ultimately winning 76-74.
If there was ever a team to break the jinx, the defending champions Rivers Hoopers seemed the best fit and despite some lapse in concentration, Ogoh Odaudu’s men got the victory over Hoops and Read.
The KingsMen began the game firing from all cylinders, sinking almost every shot attempted, going on a 12-0 run in the process and taking a commanding 29-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 41-25 lead at halftime. The third and fourth quarter saw the shots go cold but the Port Harcourt based side held on for the 73-50 win.
Day two continues today with Kwara Falcons vs Lagos Legends at 11am, Nigeria Customs vs Gboko City Chiefs at 1pm, Nile University vs Hoops and Read at 3pm and Kano Pillars vs Rivers Hoopers by 5pm.Day 2 – Tuesday, 28th October
11:00am: Kwara Falcons vs Lagos Legends
1:00pm: Nigeria Customs vs Gboko City Chiefs
3:00pm: Nile University vs Hoops & Read
5:00pm: Kano Pillars vs Rivers Hoopers
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