(by Olusegun Ikuesan)
The fortune of former Nigeria Premier League champion, Ebun Comets basketball club of Lagos of picking a play-off ticket was brightened Sunday in the Atlantic conference of the DSTV Basketball League when it escape in the dying second to pick a valuable win against Dodan Warriors basketball club.
The young Comets side with Joshua Agbona as it most experienced player ran ring round the Warriors side in the first quarter winning by a wide margin of 21-12 points, the Warriors players charging back in the second quarter to win at 21-18 points to reduce the margin by three points to move into half-time break with six points deficit of 39-33 points.
The Coach Ayo Bakare tutored Comets side rallied back in the third quarter with a 20-17 points win in the high tempo game watched by cheering crowd that thronged the sports hall of the national stadium, Lagos.
Determined to up-turn the table against Coach Bakare and his boys, the Warriors bench led by Col. Sam Ahmedu (Rtd) unleashed its fury on the Comets players with full-court press which almost paid off with the Warriors cutting off the margin between it and the Comets side and took a two points lead of 81-79 with seventeen second left and time-out called by the Comets bench.
Upon resumption of play after the expiration of the time-out, Warriors decided tto adopted a double teaming option which turned out to be their greatest undoing as the Comets players capitalized on the deficiency to level play and went on to increase their points hurl gaining two points advantage to maintain a clean slate over the Warriors whom they have earlier beaten by same margin when both sides first clashed in the first stanza of the league.
And in far away Port Harcourt visiting Union Bank basketball club of Lagos had it woes compounded by host Royal Hoopers basketball club with a 61-45 points victory.
The lose now leaves Union Bank team with a slim chances of making it to the play-offs with just two games left in the regular season.