17th June, 2013
Coach Peter Ahmedu of Dodan Warriors Basketball Club of Lagos Monday said that his players’ discipline was yielding good results in the ongoing DStv Men’s Premier Basketball League.
Ahmedu told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN in Lagos that his team was underrated when the 2012/2013 season started, but that their approach had made them a force to reckon with.
Dodan Warriors trounced Customs of Lagos 73-47 and 63- 60 in their two-legged encounter on Friday and Sunday respectively, in their Atlantic Conference matches in Lagos.
Dodan Warriors are now the first of eight teams in the Atlantic Conference league table with 12 wins and 4 losses so far in the three month-old competition
“I thank God for how we have been turning out good results in our weekly matches. I am happy with my players’ level of commitment and professionalism. They make my work complete.
“My players take to instructions and play according to how we plan; their execution of every game plan on the court is a justification of how prepared they are.
“We hope to continue like this as we intend to make the final four of the Atlantic Conference,’’ Ahmedu said.
However, Coach Scot Nnaji of Customs said that his players lost the last game due to lack of concentration.
He said there were some matches that they would win and some they would lose, but that a team should go into every game hoping to win.
“We lost to a better team; they are disciplined and highly competitive. We came back stronger in the second leg hoping to pick one of the two-leg encounters.
“We will go into our coming matches with a lot of seriousness as the season is gradually dragging to the period where teams would strive hard for points,’’ Nnaji said.
Customs are currently occupying the sixth position with six wins and 10 losses.
In the other matches played at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos on Sunday, Police Baton defeated city rivals Lagos Islanders 67-61.
Police Baton was able to turn around their initial loss to Islanders 76-80 on Friday in their first leg encounter.
However, Police Baton is currently last in the conference, recording just four wins and 12 losses.
Coach Mark Balogun of Police Baton said: “We play good basketball, we have been unlucky, and most especially the officiating has been really unfair to us.
“There are some calls that should not stand and also some fowls that were committed by our opponents, especially in the game against Islanders.
“The other sad aspect is that these wrong judgments by the referees always come up in the dying minutes of regulation time.
“This wrong judgments by the referees have often worked against us and it has to stop,’’ Balogun said.
Union Bank of Lagos was also in a fantastic form as they defeated Comets of Lagos 61-52 and 62-46 on Friday and Sunday respectively to remain in contention for the title.
They are currently second on the table with 11 wins and five losses, while Comets are seventh on the table with six wins and 10 losses.
The ongoing competition continues on Friday and Saturday.