SPORTS
Basketball: Rivers Hoopers Beat Nigeria Custom 85-75 to Reach Final
Rivers Hoopers basketball team on Monday defeated Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) 85-76 to secure a ticket to the final match of the the ongoing 2021 Super Eight men’s premier Basketball League.
The first semi final match played at the package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja saw Rivers Nigeria Custom winning the first two quarters by 15-11 and 24-22.
Rivers Hoopers bounced back to take the lead in the last two quarters by 29-15 and 23-22 to win the match and have a final score of 85-76.
Rivers Hoopers will meet the winner of the second semi final between Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls in the final match.
Nigeria Custom will square up in the third place match against the loser of the second semi final.
Both the third place match and the final will be played on Tuesday.Speaking after the match, the coach of Rivers Hoopers, Ogoh Odaudu, told Journalists that he was not scared of any team.
“We played a quality team today and we won the game, we are not scared of whoever we are meeting in the final match.
“Our target now is the Basketball Africa league (BAL) and we need to fortify the team,” he said.
On his part, the coach of Nigeria Custom said he lost because his opponent Rivers Hoopers had more personal on the bench.
“We don’t have more personnel because some of my key players were removed from the team.
“This is the semi final, we still have the third match to play tomorrow, we are looking forward to play the loser of the next match.
“We did not train enough for this championship and everytime we play your players improve,” he said.
The eight participating teams in the Super 8 Men’s Premier Basketball League are divided into Atlantic Conference and Savannah Conference.
The Atlantic Conference teams are: Rivers Hoppers, Kwara Falcons, Lagos Islanders and Police Batons.
Savannah Conference team are Kano Pillars, Gombe Bulls, Nigeria Customs and Benue Braves.
The winner of the League will represent Nigeria at the 2021 Basketball Africa League (BAL), scheduled to hold later in the year.
2021 Super 8 Men’s Premier Basketball League is organised by the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development due to the crisis in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
The competition which started on Nov. 12 is expected to end on Nov. 16 (NAN)
Nasarawa United Football Club of Lafia on Saturday defeated Lobi Stars of Makurdi 1-0 in a pulsating North Central derby.
The matchday 16 fixture of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiere Football League (NPFL) was played at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa State capital.
The Makurdi side had adopted the Lafia Township Stadium as their home ground for the 2024/2025 NPFL season.
The only goal of the match was scored by Qamar Adegoke in the 12th minute of the match to give all three points to the Lafia side.
Adegoke’s goal, who joined the Lafia team recently, was his second in four matches.
The Nasarawa attacker capitalised on a defensive error by the opponent’s backline and hit the back of the net to give Nasarawa United the advantage.
In a post-match interview, Kabir Dogo, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United, hailed his players for taking all three points.
He explained that his team had improved by scoring five goals in their last three matches and expressed optimism that they would do better in subsequent games.
“We had a problem in the area of goal scoring in the past, but this has changed in our last three games,” he said.
With the win, Nasarawa United climbed to 14th on the NPFL table, while Lobi Stars remain on 17th position. (NAN)
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is organising a two-day National Coaching Seminar, with the theme: “Leadership and Management Skills”.
The event will take place from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, at the Additional Sports and Entertainment (ASEP) Pro Limited, in Mowe, Ogun State.
The seminar will enhance the capabilities of Nigerian table tennis coaches, with a particular emphasis on female coaches, aligning with the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Initiative.
A statement issued by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, on Tuesday, said that the seminar was part of the one-week sports and leadership boot camp titled “Awaken the Giant, She Can 4.
0,” proudly supported by NTTF.“This seminar will also represent the third stage of the 2024 “My Gender, My Strength” programme, which has table tennis star Abosede Akinsete, as a beneficiary.
“NTTF President,Tikon Ishaku, Vice President, Adesoji Tayo, and other board members are dedicated to initiatives that support the development of coaches.
“Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, ITTF Executive Vice President, and President of ITTF-Africa, reaffirms his commitment to empowering women in sports, in line with the GEDI Initiative.
He explained that the seminar would feature people, who would speak on leadership and management skills, to enhance the abilities of coaches to identify and develop talents, as well as encourage the development of high-performance table tennis players capable of competing globally. (NAN)
Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt on Sunday returned to the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) summit as strong rivals Remo Stars FC faltered on Match Day 13.
Report says that Rivers United beat visiting Abia Warriors of Umuahia 1-0 after an Ndifreke Effiong 58th minute goal from the penalty kick spot.
Effiong’s goal in the match at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium helped them to move to 25 points from 13 matches, after seven wins, four draws and two losses.
Former leaders Remo Stars dropped to second with 23 points from 13 matches after seven wins, two draws and four losses, following a 0-2 loss to hosts Katsina United.
Plateau United of Jos beat visiting Nasarawa United of Lafia 2-0 to bolster their position.
Shooting Stars Sports Club also struggled to a 1-0 win over visiting Bayelsa United of Yenago.
A 15th minute goal by Anthony Okachi at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan gave them the win.
El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri had on Saturday beaten Akwa United of Uyo 1-0 to move into third place on the table with 22 points from 13 games.
Enyimba International of Aba remained in fourth place with 20 points from 12 matches, with their week 13 game against Sunshine Stars of Akure on hold.
Rangers International of Enugu are in fifth place with 20 points also, after a goalless draw with hosts Heartland FC ain Owerri on Saturday.
Bendel Insurance of Benin had also beaten Kwara United of Ilorin 3-1, while Lobi Stars of Makurdi drew 2-2 with visiting Kano Pillars in Lafia.
NAN reports that the league will enter Match Day 14 on Wednesday.(NAN)
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