Rivers Hoopers Hand Maktown Flyers First Defeat of NPBL Season

Six-time Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers showed grit and discipline to hand defending champions Maktown Flyers their first defeat of the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) season, winning 74-61 in Game Six of Phase Two at the Indoor Hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.

The victory marked the first meeting between the two sides since the Flyers edged Hoopers by two points to claim the 2025 NPBL title.

This time, the KingsMen turned a four-point halftime deficit into a commanding win, thanks to a dominant 26-8 third quarter that swung momentum firmly in their favor.

Guard Duro-Ladipo Olatoye, who finished with 12 points, credited the team’s response after a poor shooting display in their previous outing.

‘We had to go back to the drawing board. We understood that yesterday was just one of those games where we weren’t making our shots, so we came out hot today, and it worked for us,’ he said.

John Idoga led the scoring with 17 points, while Abel Offia and Victor Sunday added 11 and 10 points respectively.

Interim head coach Ronald Alalibo praised his players for sticking to the game plan after halftime.

‘During the first-half break, I instructed the players to stick to our structure and style of play. They stuck to the plan, and it worked,’ Alalibo explained.

He acknowledged the toll of back-to-back games on his squad.

‘We tried our best to push ourselves because we’re fatigued both physically and mentally, and it’s affecting the players’ movement and decision-making. It’s not easy playing back-to-back games with such intensity,’ he added.

The KingsMen will conclude their Phase Two campaign on Friday against Lagos Raptors, a team they have already beaten twice this season, including a nail-biting 77-76 victory in Ibadan during Phase One.

Olatoye, who played a key role in that finish, expects another tough contest.

‘Everyone has played the same amount of games here in Enugu, so fatigue will be an issue for both sides. But having met this opponent before, we’ve spoken about the game and hope to come out victorious,’ he said.

Coach Alalibo stressed the importance of maintaining focus.

‘We’ll approach the game with the same mentality, trying to correct our mistakes and give nothing away. Knowing that we only beat them narrowly during our last meeting in Ibadan, we don’t want to take any chances. We will try to get our acts together and close out the game early,’ he said.