NAN-S-3
Basketball
By Babatunde Ogunrinde
Lagos, May 14, 2017 (NAN) Denis Ebikoro of Abidjan Raiders Basketball Club of Cote D’Voire has expressed confidence that his team would defeat all contenders at the ongoing Continental Basketball League in Lagos.
He expressed the hope as Raiders crushed Lagos City Stars 88-73 on Sunday at the Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, venue of the tournament.
Both teams were tied at the end of the third quarter at 59-59 points but the Raiders showed experience and superiority, pounding City Stars in the dying minutes to record their victory.
Ebikoro told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the game that his team was in the competition to beat all contenders and emerge champions.
“We worked very hard to prove our ability over City Stars; they are indeed a tough team to play against.
“However, we are definitely the better side as we know our capacity is higher than all other opponents we’ve seen so far in the tournament,’’ Ebikoro said.
Star player for the Lagos City Stars team, Egbe Jiodu (17) who started playing basketball at two years old, told NAN that his team would have done better if they played well in the defence.
“We lost the game in the defence; we were not physical enough to push Raiders beyond their shooting range.
“We have to get back to the drawing board and bounce back stronger in other games to come,’’ Jiodu said.
According to Jiodu, playing basketball makes him feel very good and no player can intimidate him no matter the size or the personality.
“I love basketball, it is all that I know and I want to become a professional player one day representing Nigeria in the junior level and the senior cadre.
“I owe my success story so far to Coach Charles Ibeziakor, who discovered my talent and toughened me and developed my potential and also gave me that chance to prove myself,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Ibeziakor who is the Assistant Coach in City Stars, told NAN that the future was bright for Jiodu.
He said that if not for the injury Jiodu sustained in the match, his contributions would have helped the team to defeat Raiders.
“The team played well but fell apart in the dying minutes, especially when we lost Jiodu to injury.
“But the team will surely bounce back, it is our first game, we must not allow it to bother us,’’ Ibeziako said.
In other matches played, Eko Kings spanked Lagos Warriors, 93-77 to record their first victory, while Warriors lost their second match having fallen to Yaounde Giants in their opening match.
NAN reports that no fewer than six teams are engaged in the competition that dunked of on May 12 and will end on May 31.
The league is made up of Eko Kings, Lagos City Stars and Lagos Warriors from Lagos, Libreville Izobe Dragons from Gabon, Abidjan Raiders from Abidjan and Yaoundé Giants from Cameroon.
After the first rounds of matches decided in Lagos which is tagged the “Lagos Challenge’’, the teams will embark on a road trip to the capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé, for “Yaoundé Challenge’’ from May 22 to May 24. (NAN)
BAO/MO/PDE
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(Edited by Morayo Omolade/Peter Ejiofor)