The Union Bank Basketball Club of Lagos defeated city rivals, Dodan Warriors, in a close match that reached fever pitch at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.
An elated Coach Ayinla Johnson, Head Coach of Union Bank, on Saturday told the News Agency of Nigeria that his team’s victory over the Warriors would help to restore their needed confidence.
The Union Bank came from a point deficit to snatch victory from Warriors 60-59, in a tension-soaked encounter of the Atlantic Conference Week 13 match.
The event was still part of the ongoing DStv Basketball League in Lagos.
Johnson told NAN that although his team was not at their best, but that the victory would spur raise their morale ahead of the upcoming matches.
He said: “Playing a fast tempo team requires techniques and discipline.
“We played good zone game that kept our defences tight.
“We have not had good runs in the season compared to Warriors.
“So winning this match meant a lot to us as a team that has set their targets on continental glory.
“Our problem has been building on our good runs and our confidence.
“Once we can get that right, we know that we can always take out any tough opposition.”
Union Bank star player, Obum Onyia, said his team had done well to deserve the victory and was confident of winning from the start of the game.
Onyia said: “We played Warriors with a lot of determination.
“They are a tough team with great set of players.
“So we had to rise to the occasion to deliver.
“The victory has given us the much needed confidence that we can compete favourably with good teams and get good result from them.
“At the level of our game, all we think of is playing the conference playoffs and at the continental championship.
“So anything short of this is not accepted.”
NAN reports that Onyia played a total of 32 minutes of the 40 minutes match and scored 10 points, five assists and made eight offensive and defensive rebounds.
His leadership role was, however, felt when he made the last basket of the game that ensured victory for his team with six seconds to go, with the Warriors then leading leading 59-58.
Union Bank, however, won the four quarters, recording 16-15, 32-29, 50-46 and recording the best lead in the second quarter with 32-23 points.
Warriors’ star player, Benjamin Ikechukwu, told NAN that the team had played below average.
Ikechukwu said: “It was not a good result for us.
“We knew they were going to give us a good fight and they did, having defeated them by same point in our first encounter in May.
“The painful aspect of this loss to us in the Warriors team is that we could not give our proprietor, Sam Ahmedu, a befitting birthday gift by winning on his birthday.”
Meanwhile, top of the table, Lagos Islanders, continued their domination by recording their 12th unbeaten run in the Atlantic conference as they thrashed Customs of Lagos, 56-38.
Coach Lateef Erinfolami told NAN that the team had set a goal and that they were doing all they could to achieve that aim.
Erinfolami said: “We have set a goal for ourselves and it is to play well and win and all we need to do is to work hard and play as a team to achieve that level.
“We will never be satisfied until we achieve our targets and beat all contenders because we know we have the capacity to achieve that.”
Meanwhile Coach Scot Nnaji of the Nigeria Customs Service said he was not disappointed with his team’s performance against the Islanders.
“They did not play as they used to, because they know with our fourth placing on the log, a place in the conference final six is already guaranteed,” Nnaji said.
NAN.
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