DStv PBL Playoff: Pillars retain title in a thriller final against Mentors - Jul 20, 2014
Kano Pillars basketball club on Saturday rewrite history book of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF organized DStv Premier Basketball League becoming the first team with four titles out of the six-season-old league after edging Mark Mentors basketball club of Abuja in the dying seconds of the 2013/2014 season grand finale in Lagos.
The thrilling final which kept fans at the edge of their seat as the Abuja-based Mentors look set to do the impossible leading by four points (88-84) with nine seconds left but allowed the euphoria of winning a first title became it greatest undoing thus allowing Pillars energetic point guard Adeolu Olaiya Ojo to go on a fast-break for two points and an hasty ball-inbound cost them (Mark Mentors) the game as Olaiya Ojo steal to set-up Pillars hit-man Abubakar Usman who made a three-point with three seconds remaining.
Efforts by Mentors to draw a foul or made two-point did not yield result as the buzzer went off to signal the end of the game which Pillars won by 89-88 points (20-25, 21-19, 20-18 and 28-26).
Usman recorded play-off high of 38 points, 5 steal, 4 rebound and 4 assist in 35.27 minutes and was joined in double figure by the duo of Ibrahim Yusuf (11 points, 3 rebounds) and Adeolu Olaiya Ojo (10 points and 3 steal) to hand Pillars the trophy.
Dodan Warriors retain it third spot with a 81-71 points (08-16, 14-22, 18-15, 27-14 and 04-14) victory over Gombe Bulls after over-time after both sides ended the game at 67 points apiece at regulation time. Abubakar Usman (192-G-86)
DStv PBL All-Star Game: Savannah Conference triumph over Atlantic 66-45 - May 4, 2014
.....As Savannah Usman reclaim MVP trophy
The 2014 edition of the All-Star Game of the 2013/ 2014 season of the DStv Premier Basketball League was held at the weekend at the Sports Hall of the University of Lagos Sports Complex, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos with the Savannah Conference triumphing over their Atlantic Conference counterpart by 66-45 points.
The highly advertised game which saw the twenty-four players carefully selected from the two conferences of the league was watched by capacity crowd who were yawning for more basketball actions as the Stanley Gumut captained Savannah Conference dominated their Atlantic counterpart in a pay-back situation after losing narrowly to the Atlantic side by 104-103 in 2013.
Though Savannah conference fall short on the board with 24-26 rebounds but gained the upper hand in other areas of the game with 16-10 assist, seven to five steal and a lesser turn-over of nine to twelve.
The Savannah conference also won in all four quarters by 18-12, 18-08, 15-13 and 15-12 points respectively.
Atlantic conference depended so much on Islanders basketball club point guard did not yield any results for them as a more experience Abubakar Usman stopped the base-line moves of the former Ewe Oldenburger and Buergerfelder basketball clubs in the German Regional Liga who has been in an explosive form the Atlantic conference log leader this season but found no one to combine with in his first DStv All-Star Game.
Savannah conference and Mark Mentors basketball club of Abuja forward Abdulwahab Yahawa gave a massive dunk midway into the third quarters after receiving a no-look assist from Adeolu Olaiya Ojo from the Atlantic conference low-post as the Savannah conference side took an 18-point advantage going into the last quarter.
Abubakar Usman showed the prowess that saw him rule the hoops as FIBA Africa Champions Cup leading scorer when he led the Savannah conference with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steal and 2 assist in 35.33 minutes that he was on the floor for the Coaches Peter Ahmedu and Abdulrahman Mohammed tutored Savannah Conference, Usman was joined on the score-sheet with another double figure performance by fellow 2013 Stancovic Bronze medalist with the Nigeria senior men national team Abdulwahab Yahaya who recorded 11 points and 2 rebounds in 22.08 minutes.
Usman who has had a splendid performance with Kano Pillars basketball club this season making the Pillars the only side to remain unbeaten in nine DStv regular season game was adjudged the 2014 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) thus reclaiming the title he lost to Atlantic conference and Dodan Warriors basketball club captain Azuoma Dike.
The celebrities were also not left out of the One-Day show as former Nigeria national team captain and 2011 All Africa Games gold medal winner Olumide Oyedeji led Channel O defeated Olisa Adibua tutored Beat FM radio by 12-06 points. Abubakar Usman (192-G-86)
The Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, has released a list of twenty-four players and six officials from the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences of the Dstv Premier League for this weekend's All-Star Game scheduled for the University of Lagos indoor hall in Akoka, Lagos.
According to the NBBF/DStv League Director, Agboola Pinheiro, twelve players and three officials each were selected from the two conferences for the game holding in Lagos on Saturday with Kano Pillars and Mark Mentors dominating the Savannah Conference list.
The Savannah Conference will be handled by coaches Peter Ahmedu (Mark Mentors) and Abdulrahaman Mohammed (Gombe Bulls) with former international, Lawal Garba as Team Manager while Coaches Adeboye Aderinboye (Oluyole Warriors) and Chris Nomingo (Dodan Warriors) will handle the Atlantic Conference team with former international, Deji Jaiyeola as Team Manager, All-Star weekend planning committee chairman, Agboola Pinheiro disclosed in Lagos.
Players picked from the Savannah Conference include Abubakar Usman, Dele Ademola, Mathew Onmonya, Onyeka Okeke and Adeolu Olaiya Ojo from Kano Pillars basketball club, Mark Mentors basketball club of Abuja has Stanley Gumut, Abdulwahab Yahaya, Akpara Akiti and Timothy Kwaor; Chibuzor John from Plateau Peaks of Jos, John Mathais and Eli Abraham from Gombe Bulls.
The Atlantic Conference players are Chiwendu Nwaigbo and Ibrahim Okpe from Islanders, Obum Onyia, William Ndoumbe, Solomon Ajegbeyi and Boniface Synesius from Union Bank, Azouma Dike and Mamadou Savadogo from Dodan Warriors, Lanre Alimi (Kwara Falcons), Emmanuel Balogun (Customs) and Femi Adekanye from Oluyole Warriors basketball club of Ibadan.
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