Maktown Flyers Capitulate as Rivers Hoopers Reclaim NPBL Crown

Rivers Hoopers reclaimed the Nigeria Premier Basketball League crown on Monday after a commanding 88-76 victory over Gboko City Chiefs, coupled with defending champions Maktown Flyers’ 64-72 defeat to Aso Sky Hawks in Port Harcourt.

The results on the penultimate day of the NPBL Final Four gave Hoopers an unassailable lead and also secured their return to the Basketball Africa League in 2027.

The first game produced a major setback for defending champions Maktown Flyers, who suffered their second consecutive defeat and were eliminated from contention for the title.

Maktown started brightly, taking the opening quarter 19-16 and extending their lead to 31-24 midway through the second. Aso Sky Hawks, however, fought back strongly, drawing level at 36-36 with 2:15 remaining before halftime.

The Hawks’ defensive intensity proved decisive as they recorded six steals and 21 rebounds, including 15 on the defensive end, while Maktown committed 12 turnovers. Aso Sky Hawks converted those turnovers into six points in the first half.

Maktown struggled to regain control after the break and trailed 53-60 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter became increasingly tense as the defending champions attempted a late comeback. With less than a minute remaining, Keita Mohammed ended a three-minute scoring drought with a two-pointer to reduce the deficit to 64-70 with 34.1 seconds left.

A subsequent block briefly raised Maktown’s hopes, but Aso Sky Hawks held firm to complete a 72-64 victory.

The Hawks scored 28 points off Maktown’s turnovers, while the defending champions failed to register a single second-chance point. Aso Sky Hawks had seven. Paul Dibal led all scorers with 19 points.

The result left Rivers Hoopers needing a victory over Gboko City Chiefs to take control of the championship race, and the 2024 champions delivered in emphatic fashion.

Hoopers raced into a 13-6 lead in the opening five minutes, but Gboko responded impressively, using fast breaks, turnovers and points in the paint to overturn the deficit and finish the first quarter 19-18 ahead.

Johnson Anaye’s three-pointer at the buzzer changed the momentum, setting the tone for a dominant second quarter by Hoopers.

The Port Harcourt side hit 12 three-pointers during the game and established a 45-35 halftime lead before stretching the advantage to as many as 21 points.

Gboko could not mount another comeback as Hoopers closed out an 88-76 victory to secure the league championship and the sole Nigerian ticket to the 2027 Basketball Africa League.

Omar Abada led the champions with 18 points, while Peter Olisemeka posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Abel Offia also scored 14, with Chinedu Nwaogu adding 13 points from the bench.

The title marks a return to the top for Hoopers following their defeat in last year’s final and adds another domestic championship to their 2024 title.

Head coach Ogoh Odaudu praised his players for their dominant performance, while Nwaogu celebrated his first league title in only his second professional season.

The Final Four concludes on Tuesday, with Hoopers facing defending champions Maktown Flyers at 6pm in a rematch of last year’s final.

Aso Sky Hawks and Gboko City Chiefs will meet in the opening game at 3pm.