Hoopers win the Basketball League, promising further success on the continent
Rivers Hoopers, who won the Nigeria Basketball League at the weekend, are competing in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the second time and have promised to do better than in 2022.
Rivers Hoopers defeated Nigeria Customs 77-57 in the final league match at a court in Port Harcourt to qualify for Africa’s biggest basketball championship in 2024. They finished the tournament with a 13-game unbeaten record.
Before the final match, three teams including Gboko City Chiefs, Nigeria Customs and Rivers Hoopers had a mathematical chance of winning the title. Gboko City Chiefs defeated Hoops & Read by 80-70 points to move to the top of the league standings.
But the Kingsmen, also known as the Reverse Hoopers, knew what they had to do to become champions. They led 14-4 in the first five minutes of the first quarter and ended the quarter up 21-12.
They maintained the tempo and controlled the game, finishing the second quarter 38-27 and entering the halftime break with an 11-point lead.
In the previous match between Gboko City Chiefs and Hoops & Read, the hosts suffered a stunning collapse in the third quarter, but dominated play as the league title and ticket to Basketball Africa came closer than ever. They were able to overcome the misery in the third quarter. The score ended at 59-47.
The Customs struggled in the fourth quarter, but the Kingsmen took the Customs clean with a 16-5 run in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, ending the game 18-10 with Rivers answering every question asked. gave an appropriate answer. Hoopers held on and ended a close game with 20 points.
The result sparked immediate jubilation as the frenetic home crowd, who had shown huge support for the Hoopers throughout the Final Four tournament, struggled to contain their emotions.
After the game, Rivers Hoopers captain Victor Anthony Coco had a game-high 23 points and 9 rebounds on 10/13 field goals and 3/3 free throws on a night where the Hoopers converted 72.7 percent. He said he contributed to. Ratings from the line attributed their success to the boys’ hard work and determination to excel in the championship. He said the victory was due to everyone’s efforts, adding that the next challenge is to plan for success at BAL in 2024.
Source: guardian.ng