Basketball in Africa

LAGOS (Schools basketball) - International School, Akoka, Lagos opened their campaign this year with double wins as the annual AKOFA Ivy Basketball League took the jump ball across Lagos on Wednesday. The University of Lagos, Akoka secondary school boys drilled Mayday Secondary School, Iponri 66-24 in one of the starters played at the university grounds. The Akoka boys were good but it was their ladies who were even more business like and merciless as they thrashed visiting Mayday girls 37-2 in the other categories. The result of the female match should easily make a good read in the Guinness Book World Records.

While the Yaba Zone of the league produced so many wide-margin wins, the actual contests were done in other zones as Honeyland College who were guests of Doregos Private Academy won the match by 33-32 score line. Doregos as hosts had more of the fans but they were let down as the last quarter efforts of the visitors paid off. It was in the boy’s category as the Doregos girls whitewashed the Honeyland girls 24-1 in the first match of the centre.

“We had to admit quite some very new schools into the league this term and many of them are still far behind in standard and that has resulted in some of the funny results recorded on Day One of the competition,” John Bimbo Faniran, the CEO of AKOFA Sports explained.
“By the time we enter the next stage we should be able to see the usual standard and exciting games we have seen over the years. And we believe in short time these new schools just developing their skills and playing arenas will close up the gap a bit. We just had to encourage them.”

The league meant open to all private secondary schools in Lagos began about a decade ago with less than 10 schools. A total 29 schools are competing in the league this season. The competition which began January 27th will play through March just before the schools vacate for the Easter break. The teams have been divided into four zones with the top two each group making it straight into the quarter finals of the league.

By Pius Ayinor, FIBA Africa