Basketball in Africa

Police Rookies Basketball Academy has emerged winner of the 1st Champions Nest League beating Raptors in the finals played Saturday at the Sports Centre of the University of Lagos by 33-27 points.

The Rookies side with such young player as Peter Odia, kid brother of University of Oregon and Nigeria international point guard, Churchill Odia were in sparkling form against their bigger opponent with halftime scores at 12-11 in favour of the Police College, Ikeja-based Mark Balogun tutored Rookies team.

The Balogun boys came into the third and fourth quarters with superior skill, more resilient and purposefulness which gave them a second half score line of 21-16 points for a cumulative score-line of 33-27.

Baby Seals showed superior understanding of the game to defeat a more agile Hawknets side in the final.

The Wale Aboderin girls won the last three quarters (10-06, 10-04 and 17-11) except the first won by Hawknets (07-13) for a cumulative score-line of 44-34 to emerge as the first female champion of the Champions Nest league.

Flamers took won the male third place match at the expense of Hawks by 43-39 points while University of Lagos female team defeated their Police Rookies counterpart for the third place female title.

Aboderin praised the efforts of the organizers for putting together a league for non-national league teams and an opportunity for younger players to develop.

He urged the Champions Nest coordinator, Godwin Unegbe not to relent in his effort at seeing that the league continues and better organized.