By Victor Okoye
Abuja, June 16, 2022 (NAN) Ubon Udoh, the Proprietor of Hotcoal Basketball Club, says his team would have to do it the hard way, if they intend to emerge as champions of the Mark ‘D’ Ball basketball championship in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Hotcoal Ballers edged Nigerian basketball heavyweights, Kano Pillars at the end of a pulsating encounter in their opening game.
Onyebuchi Nwaiwu scored 14 points to lead Hotcoal to a 63-57 victory over the Sai Maisugida clubside on Wednesday, sending a strong message out to other contenders for the championship title.
He combined well with Captain Precious Saliu who also had 14 points and three rebounds for the Hotcoal ballers, who have only lost one game since the start of the championship on Feb. 6.
Udoh told NAN on the sidelines of the championship on Thursday, that his team was a young and dynamic side, capable of coping with any kind of pressure at this stage of the competition.
“We had to do it the difficult way,” said Udoh, whose team staged a stunning comeback in the final quarter to win the game.
This was after letting a 15 point-lead at the end of the second quarter (31- 16), slip off their grasp as Kano Pillars fought back to close the gap to just a point.
They dug themselves out of the mud and narrowed the scores to 46-45 with seven minutes to go, but the Hotcoal ballers responded and after making it 53-53, they took a 59-55 lead with 39.5 secs to go.
Kano Pillars looked set to pull up yet another comeback after coach Sani Ahmad called for a strategic time-out, but it wasn’t to be as the Hotcoal Ballers were resilient and held on to win it 63-57.
“We have to continue to produce this kind of performance and be a little more consistent if we hope to reach the finals and challenge for the ultimate prize.
“It could have been an easier road, obviously, if we hadn’t slipped up and allowed our opponents back into the game.
“But we are a very unique and dynamic team and know how to deal with the pressure at this stage of the competition.
“We believe in our abilities as a team and know we can go all the way,” he said.
NAN also reports that next up for the Hotcoal Ballers is Kwara Falcons who lost their first game 51-60 to Gombe Bulls on Wednesday.
The championship which resumed with the ‘Elite eight’ on Wednesday sees eight teams divided into two groups (four each) with two best teams from each group expected to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.
The finals will be played on Sunday to determine the winner of the championship. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
