19 November 2007
NIGERIA : Niger Potters Qualify for African Basketball Champions Cup Final
Abdulraheem Aodu
Nigerian representatives in the 2007 FIBA Men African Champions Cup basketball competition, the Niger Potters has picked one of the Zone 3 tickets to the final competition slated for Luanda, Angola.
Potters won five matches to win the concluded zone three preliminaries played in Cotonou, Benin Republic with 10 points. Ivorian champions Abidjan Basketball Club and host ASPAC of Benin Republic picked the two remaining slots to qualify for the 22nd FIBA Men African Champions Cup final.
The weeklong zone three preliminaries saw a tough battle among the six teams in the zone, as they fight for a place in the continental final for the continental title held by Petro Athético of Luanda.
After seven days of fierce battles among the six teams, Niger Potters from Nigeria emerged champions of the preliminaries with five victories to top the final ranking with 10 points followed by Abidjan Basketball Club of Côte d'Ivoire with nine points. ASPAC of Benin Republic recorded two defeats and three victories, placing third with eight points.
The host of the preliminaries, Renaissance Basketball Club of Benin Republic failed to make the cut placing fourth with seven points thereby missing the train to the finals. Oiler of Liberia was fifth with 6 points while Togolese side Swallows Basketball Club ended at the bottom of the group in sixth place.
Playing in the zone two preliminaries group of the Men Champions Cup earlier concluded in Conakry, Guinea hosts MBC Basketball Club and Malian side Stade Malien both booked their place in the finals.
MBC beat Stade Malien 59 - 48 in the final match of the group to crush the qualification hopes of USC Rail of Senegal for the final round of the 2007 Men Champions Cup billed for Angola in December.
In the first game of the final preliminaries day, USC Rail brightened its chances of booking a final round ticket of the 22nd FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Men with a 61 - 53 points pounding of AS Kaloum of Guinea and needed just a defeat of MBC to have a realistic chance of qualification.
Unfortunately, in the second game, MBC overcame Stade Malien 59 - 48 and book the first position followed by Stade Malien. Thus, the two sides MBC and Stade Malien won the two tickets available in the zone for the final round of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup in Angola.
MBC recorded three victories and one defeat in the preliminaries to book the first place with 7 points followed by Stade Malien with the same performance. The two representatives of Senegal AS BOPP and USC RAIL ended respectively at the third and fourth places with six points each, while AS Kaloun of Guinea takes the bottom place (fifth) with 4 points.
With the end of zone three preliminaries, the twelve clubs for the final round of the 22nd FIBA Africa Champions Cup for men 2007 have emerged.
Nigerian representatives in the 2007 FIBA Men African Champions Cup basketball competition, the Niger Potters has picked one of the Zone 3 tickets to the final competition slated for Luanda, Angola.
Potters won five matches to win the concluded zone three preliminaries played in Cotonou, Benin Republic with 10 points. Ivorian champions Abidjan Basketball Club and host ASPAC of Benin Republic picked the two remaining slots to qualify for the 22nd FIBA Men African Champions Cup final.
The weeklong zone three preliminaries saw a tough battle among the six teams in the zone, as they fight for a place in the continental final for the continental title held by Petro Athético of Luanda.
After seven days of fierce battles among the six teams, Niger Potters from Nigeria emerged champions of the preliminaries with five victories to top the final ranking with 10 points followed by Abidjan Basketball Club of Côte d'Ivoire with nine points. ASPAC of Benin Republic recorded two defeats and three victories, placing third with eight points.
The host of the preliminaries, Renaissance Basketball Club of Benin Republic failed to make the cut placing fourth with seven points thereby missing the train to the finals. Oiler of Liberia was fifth with 6 points while Togolese side Swallows Basketball Club ended at the bottom of the group in sixth place.
Playing in the zone two preliminaries group of the Men Champions Cup earlier concluded in Conakry, Guinea hosts MBC Basketball Club and Malian side Stade Malien both booked their place in the finals.
MBC beat Stade Malien 59 - 48 in the final match of the group to crush the qualification hopes of USC Rail of Senegal for the final round of the 2007 Men Champions Cup billed for Angola in December.
In the first game of the final preliminaries day, USC Rail brightened its chances of booking a final round ticket of the 22nd FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Men with a 61 - 53 points pounding of AS Kaloum of Guinea and needed just a defeat of MBC to have a realistic chance of qualification.
Unfortunately, in the second game, MBC overcame Stade Malien 59 - 48 and book the first position followed by Stade Malien. Thus, the two sides MBC and Stade Malien won the two tickets available in the zone for the final round of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup in Angola.
MBC recorded three victories and one defeat in the preliminaries to book the first place with 7 points followed by Stade Malien with the same performance. The two representatives of Senegal AS BOPP and USC RAIL ended respectively at the third and fourth places with six points each, while AS Kaloun of Guinea takes the bottom place (fifth) with 4 points.
With the end of zone three preliminaries, the twelve clubs for the final round of the 22nd FIBA Africa Champions Cup for men 2007 have emerged.
# posted by afrbk : 17:58
