2024 Nigeria Premier Basketball League: Rivers Hoopers defeat Oluyole Warriors to stay unbeaten
Rivers Hoopers made it a second consecutive victory following their 77-43 win over Oluyole Warriors in the Atlantic Conference in Benin.
Hoopers shot to a 16-2 lead midway through the first quarter and stretched it to an 18-point lead at halftime.
The KingsMen dominated the second half, and the helpless Warriors were left defeated for a second game in a row.
“We are getting enough practice, and the games are not stressful right now at this stage, ” said Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odauau.
”We are getting players to rest a lot, so we are rotating the 12 players on the bench, which is good for us, and the opposition is not too tough, so we have been getting enough practice.”
”Odaudu added,” We are taking it as our daily practice sessions. I know it will get tougher, but we are content with what we have, and we are hoping we get better at every game.”
Three Hoopers’ players finished in double figures: Patrick Abah (11), Ifeanyi Koko (11) and Michael Daramola (11) all combined for 33 points.
Abah added 4 rebounds, made 2/5 from deep, and went 50% from the line. Koko also added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Daramola contributed 3 rebounds and 6 assists.
Despite not scoring in double figures, Victor Mohammed and Samuel Sani were both efficient from the boards for a second consecutive game.
While Mohammed grabbed 8 rebounds with 3 assists and 1 steal, Sani had 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The KingsMen had 13 turnovers in the game, made 8-of-16 from the line, and shot 5-threes in the game.
Rivers Hoopers will next play against Police Batons on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
Ahead of the game against Police Batons, Odaudu expects an aggressive Batons team but says his team will not rest on their efforts until the final buzzer.
“Every game against Police Batons is always aggressive. We won’t rest on our oars until the final buzzer. We won’t underrate them. Police can surprise you. We would have a specific game plan against Police Batons,” he said.
