(by Olusegun Ikuesan)
Royal Hooppers basketball club of Lagos at the weekend became the first team to book a playoffs ticket after recording two away wins over Nigeria Customs basketball and Islanders basketball club of Lagos in the Atlantic Conference of the DStv Premier Basketball League.
The Hoopers coached by former Nigeria international point guard, Ogoh Odaudu stunned Lagos fans with wins over Nigeria Customs and Islanders basketball clubs at the sports hall of the national stadium, Lagos.
Hoopers who has enjoyed the top spot of the conference in the past one week defeated both Customs and Islanders 73-61 and 79-68 points respectively.
And in the Savannah Conference the dwindling fortune of AHIP Giants basketball club of Kano continued as it lost its two road games to Bauchi Nets and Yelwa Hawks basketball clubs of Bauchi.
The Bauchi Nets versus AHIP Giants game began on a promising note for the Kano-side who though lost the first three quarters of the explosive game giving their best in the fourth quarter cutting down a 12 points deficit to go down by 63-68 points but the game against Yelwa Hawks exposed the AHIP side who gave up a first quarter win of 19-15 points to surrender the last three quarters which was dominated by the Hawks (16-07, 14-12 and 25-22) for a cumulative score-line of 70-60 points.
The win for the Hawks moved up to the fourth position of the Savannah conference which is being dictated by Kano Pillars.
Results:
Atlantic conference:
Delta Force 86-80 Union Bank
Union Bank 68-45 Police Baton
Islanders 51-53 Delta Force
Dodan Warriors 74-81 Delta Force
Royal Hoopers 63-58 Ebun Comets
NGR Customs 61-73 Royal Hoopers
Islanders 68-79 Royal Hoopers
Savannah conference
Niger Potters 59-51 Plateau Peaks
Kano Pillars 94-72 Kada Stars
AHIP Giants 72-74 Kada Stars
Bauchi Nets 63-58 AHIP Giants
Yelwa Hawks 70-60 AHIP Giants