NBBF Premier League Final 8: Hoopers, Falcons through to semi- final
By Ifeanyi Eduzor
Kwara Falcons and Rivers Hoopers maintained their unbeaten run to qualify for the semi- finals of the on- going NBBF Premier League Final 8 going on at the Sports Hall of the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos.
Falcons booked their place in the last four with a hard fought win over Gombe Bulls on Match Day 3, beating them 67 to 61 points. 17-20, 12-9, 16-22 and 16-16.
The victory is the third in a roll for the Bird of prey in the NBBF Premier League Final 8. The Braves were the first to capitulate in the hands of The Falcons, followed by The Customs and The Bulls.
Rivers Hoopers was made to work extra hard by Kano Pillars on Wednesday before they landed in the semi -finals.
Hoopers needed a second overtime to beat Pillars 69-67 in the last game of the day.
In the opening game of Match Day 3, Benue Braves extinguished Lagos Islanders hope of reaching the knockout stage with a painful defeat of 59-58. That was Islanders third loss in the Final 8. 17-9, 14-15, 12-15 and 15-20.
The win is the second for The Braves and it keeps them in the race to reach the semi-final.
Nigerian Customs secured their second win in the competition with an emphatic win over the whipping side in the Final 8 Police Baton 71-49.
Police Baton won the first quarter 18-16 but they ran out of gas and steam in the second, third and fourth quarters, lossing 11-16, 6-20 and 14-19. The defeat is the heaviest in the Final 8 so far.
Four games will be played today and three of them stands out.
After the double overtime on Match Day 3, a tired Kano Pillars will need to pull out it’s extra energy to confront winless Lagos Islanders.
Pillars needs a win and pray other results goes their way if they are to stay in the competition beyond today. The Pillars versus Islanders game is the first outing of Match Day 4.
It will be followed by the encounter between Rivers Hoopers and Benue Braves. The Braves must win if they hope to reach the semi-final.
Gombe Bulls that went down to Kwara Falcons meets the whipping Boys, Police Baton. A heavy win will do well for the Bulls’ ambition to play in the last four.
Kwara Falcons and Customs will take to the court in the last game of the day. It’s a most win fixture for the Customs Boys while Falcons needs the game to finish the round robbing outing on a high.
The winner of the NBBF Premier League Final 8 will represent Nigeria in the 2023 Basketball Africa League (BAL) in Kigali, Rwanda.
