Rivers Hoopers and Maktown Flyers secured their Final Four spots in the Nigeria Premier Basketball League playoffs after recording victories on Wednesday at the Basketball Stadium in Port Harcourt, www.aclsports.com reports.
Rivers Hoopers remained unbeaten with an 83–65 victory over Gboko City Chiefs after a dramatic overtime contest. The Chiefs forced overtime when Marcus Thomas hit a buzzer-beater to make it 59–59, but the King’s Men dominated the extra period, outscoring their opponents 22–6 to secure their fourth straight win and a place in the Final Four. Omar Abada was among the key contributors.
Defending champions Maktown Flyers also booked their Final Four spot with an emphatic 81–64 victory over Kano Pillars. They continued their perfect run with another commanding performance, making it four wins from four games in the playoffs, with Kano Pillars still seeking their first win.
Aso Skyhawks continued their strong campaign with an 81–62 victory over Lagos Raptors. The debutants recovered after the Raptors made a bright start, taking control in the third quarter to claim their third victory of the playoffs. Emagba Abolaji finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists for Aso Skyhawks as they strengthened their hopes of reaching the Final Four.
313 Warriors returned to winning ways with a 66–60 victory over Hoops & Read to record their third win of the playoffs. Ibrahim Abdulkadir led the Warriors with 27 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Alex Iyaruwe scored 14 points and Francis Anekwe added 12 points for Hoops & Read, who remain winless.
