24 May 2006
NIGERIA : Customs Lose, Islanders Hang On
Three Matches were played in Lagos through the weekend in the Vmobile Premier Basketball League and the three wins and three losses produced by those fixtures appear to have settled a lot of calculations as the regular season gradually plays to an end.
Union Bank defeated Delta Force 77-70 on Friday while the Customs lost by three points to the Dodan Warriors on Saturday and Ebun Comets defeated eternal rivals Lagos Islanders 58-46 the following day. The results of the Atlantic Conference teams mean that Customs will need miracle plus extra force to qualify for the play off stage just as the Islanders hang on desperately to the last ticket. If the teams stay that way, it means that the Customs that featured in the Vmobile Challenge play off stage last year would have lost their ticket to the Islanders whom failed to qualify. On the other side the victories of the Union Bank, Comets and Dodan Warriors teams only means that they have firmly cemented their berths in the first leg of the play off holding in Port Harcourt. The three teams are now playing for final positions into the play off.
Union Bank were clear favourites over Delta Force of Asaba but it took added effort in the last quarter of the match before the visitors were subdued. Before the last moments of the last quarter, the game had all through at a clutch with two points separating both teams most of the time.
The Customs duel with Dodan Warriors was viewed as a die-hard game and it lived up to expectation. The Customs that lost their first fixture to the Warriors were desperate to secure a win for sake of team pride and also make a last minute dash for Port Harcourt but it turned out to nought.
The Comets game against Islanders was advertised like the game before them because of history and rivalry but the match lived below expectations as both teams invested heavily in defence than offence which left the result at a miserly 25-15 lead for the Comets at the break. The low scoreline is typical of both teams. At the height of their rivalry a game ended at 39-36 for the Comets in Lagos but it surprisingly produced a lot of fireworks and excitement more than the dominance of Comets as witnessed yesterday.
Comets captain Baba Jubril was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game and honoured with the ball.
Union Bank defeated Delta Force 77-70 on Friday while the Customs lost by three points to the Dodan Warriors on Saturday and Ebun Comets defeated eternal rivals Lagos Islanders 58-46 the following day. The results of the Atlantic Conference teams mean that Customs will need miracle plus extra force to qualify for the play off stage just as the Islanders hang on desperately to the last ticket. If the teams stay that way, it means that the Customs that featured in the Vmobile Challenge play off stage last year would have lost their ticket to the Islanders whom failed to qualify. On the other side the victories of the Union Bank, Comets and Dodan Warriors teams only means that they have firmly cemented their berths in the first leg of the play off holding in Port Harcourt. The three teams are now playing for final positions into the play off.
Union Bank were clear favourites over Delta Force of Asaba but it took added effort in the last quarter of the match before the visitors were subdued. Before the last moments of the last quarter, the game had all through at a clutch with two points separating both teams most of the time.
The Customs duel with Dodan Warriors was viewed as a die-hard game and it lived up to expectation. The Customs that lost their first fixture to the Warriors were desperate to secure a win for sake of team pride and also make a last minute dash for Port Harcourt but it turned out to nought.
The Comets game against Islanders was advertised like the game before them because of history and rivalry but the match lived below expectations as both teams invested heavily in defence than offence which left the result at a miserly 25-15 lead for the Comets at the break. The low scoreline is typical of both teams. At the height of their rivalry a game ended at 39-36 for the Comets in Lagos but it surprisingly produced a lot of fireworks and excitement more than the dominance of Comets as witnessed yesterday.
Comets captain Baba Jubril was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game and honoured with the ball.
# posted by afrbk : 15:31
