by Olusegun Ikuesan) africabasket.com
Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt, Rivers State is set to stage this years edition of the DStv Premier Basketball League final-8 playoffs which dunk-off on Sunday (19/09/10) at the Civic Centre as declared by the Secretary of the playoffs Local Organising Committee, Ifie Ozoka.
Speaking with our correspondent in Port Harcourt recently, the LOC Secretary says the Port Harcourt-based Hoopers is set to stage the best final-8 in the history of the league.
We are happy to be awarded the right to stage the final-8 playoffs by the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF and we are prepared to showcase the hostipitality side of the great people of Rivers State.
Aside providing a quality venue for the games we have also lined up quality artists who will perform each day of the playoffs.
Our technical crew are also not leaving anything to chance as we are determined to picked one of the two continental tickets to justify the maximum support we have received from our chairman Syndoph Endoni and the Rivers State government.
Everything is in place and we are confident of a successful start to finish final-8 playoffs, Ozoka concluded.
Royal Hoopers topped the Atlantic conference of the DStv Premier League with Union Bank, Dodan Warriors and Police Baton who are making the final-8 playoffs cut in the Nigeria for the first time in over two decades qualifying for the Port Harcourt show.
From the Savannah conference come defening champion, Kano Pillars, Kada Stars, Bauchi Nets who is making a come back to the playoffs after ten years with Niger Potters picking the fought slot from the conference.
Among the games decided in the run off to the playoffs, Delta Force basketball club of Asaba picked a valuable 58-55 points away win over Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt, Police Baton basketball club had the better of Union Bank basketball club in Lagos by 70-60 points while Dodan Warriors basketball club complete the Atlantic conference regular season game with a 72-57 points victory over Lagos Islanders on Sunday.
Niger Potters basketball club fought a spirited battle to upstage AHIP Giants basketball club of Kano by 52-47 points win in Minna with Plateau Peaks basketball club of Jos failing to show up for its home game against defending champion, Kano Pillars basketball club in Kaduna.