Rivers Hoopers whitewashed Kwara Falcons 104-43 on game day 6 of the Atlantic Conference in the 2024 Nigeria Premier Basketball League on Friday.
Michael Okiki led four other Hoopers’ players on double digits; scoring 22 points, Abel Offia added 16, while Patrick Abah and Michael Daramola both shot 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Okiki scored 14 points, including four three-pointers, in the opening quarter for the KingsMen who raced quickly to an 18-12 lead.
Back-to-back threes by Offia in the second quarter took Hoopers to a 36-22 lead, which was further stretched to 20 points with two minutes left to play in the second quarter.
Hoopers took advantage of a five-minute scoreless run by Kwara Falcons in the third quarter, as they stretched the lead to 40 points with 5:56 remaining.
Okiki shot eight points in the third to extend the Rivers Hoopers lead to 80-31 going to the fourth.
With 1 minute 27 seconds left to play in the game, Toye Duro-Ladipo knocked down a trey, which took the Port Harcourt club to over 100 points (101-43).
For a second consecutive game this week, the KingsMen reached the 100 mark. Daramola made it a back-to-back three for Hoopers from a turnover, leaving the Falcons in a sorry state.
Offia attributed their unbeaten run to good preparation.
”We have been in training camp for a long time, so that has helped us pick the six wins we have now. It brought us together and ensured we were all on the same pace and winning all six”, he said.
A confident Offia says the KingsMen are battle-ready for Saturday.
”We are all locked in, as you can see, and we are ready to play. We will give it our best and try to get the win for the team and the people in Port Harcourt”, he added.
Rivers Hoopers hope to finish the conference without a defeat but face a stern test against unbeaten Hoops and Read in their last game on Saturday.
