(by Olusegun Ikuesan)
Playing away from home DStv Premier Basketball League defending champion, Kano Pillars basketball club began the quest to gain one of the four slots to the Final-8 playoffs from the Savannah conference of the league with a 99-66 points win over host Tapgun Rockets basketball club of Jos at the Sports Hall of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Pillars, coached by Nigeria senior national tactician, Sani Ahmed dominated the Nigeria DStv league in the 2009/2010 season dropping just one game to Kada Stars basketball club of Kaduna (80-84) during the regular season of the conference is set to dominate the rest of the teams from the Savannah conference this season once again.
Also in superb form at the weekend, former league champion and second placed team of the now rested Africa Cup Winners Cup Competition (Ashry Cup) Comets basketball club of Lagos handed down a home defeat to Delta Force basketball club of Asaba winning with as much as 23 points margin of 65-88 points.
Comets who began the quest to rewrite its name in the Nigeria scene with a 76-44 points bashing of newly promoted Chariots basketball club of Lagos on January 30 at the sports hall of the National Stadium, Lagos is set to give other teams in the Atlantic conference a run for their money and talent.
In its bid to achieve this lofty goal of staging a big comeback to the domestic scene, the team coached by former Nigeria senior Men national team head coach, Ayo Bakare was able to bring back some of its former players such as Denis Ebikoro, former captain of the Nigeria National U18 team and point guard, Orseer Ikyaator and Seun Akinwale.
And in Kano Niger Potters basketball club of Minna defeated host Nigeria Immigration basketball club by 61-58 points at the sports hall of the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofa-mata, Kano.
The loss to Potters by newly promoted Immigration who got a premier league after more than ten years in the less fancy Division-One bring it to second its second straight home lose as it lost it season opener on January 30 scandalously to Kada Stars by 44-85 points.
africabasket.com