Sports | South-East Basketball Invitational Championship: How Team Imo conquered Enugu
South-East Basketball Invitational Championship: How Team Imo conquered Enugu
...as POCACOV Coordinator lauds organisers
The final of the South-East Basketball Invitational Championship came to an end at the Indoor Sports Hall of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu between Team Imo and Team Enugu.
Coach of the Imo side, Nkwocha Joyce said her lads conquer the host in the most exciting game of the competition.
Speaking with Wakawaka Sports Extra after her side victory over the host team Enugu, Joyce said it was a fight to finish noting her zeal for the game spurred the team.
She said: "It's God the games has been tough. We beat Abia to qualify for the final. I know It was a hard game for us against the host because they have everything going for them the fans and an excellent team.
"We didn't allow them to shoot on our heads today we stopped them from shooting three points. They couldn't rebound.
"I have a great zeal for basketball. Kudos to my husband because if he had says no, I wouldn't have been here. It was a fight to finish against team Enugu where we conquered."
Her counterpart from Team Abia, Ayodele Olumide, said it is an honour to coach his team despite the loss to Team Imo.
He went further to urge the organisers to continue to do more for the game in the region.
He said: "It's an honour to coach this young athletes and I feel so happy for what South East Basketball association are doing in the zone and I pray they continue to do more.
"We lost this game in the first quarter because of fatigue. win or lose. Let them continue to do more."
Similarly, POCACOV National Coordinator, Csp Ebere Amaraizum, has lauded the efforts of the organisers for putting up such a competition.
He equally showered encomiums on the organizations for their top professionalism while applauding Team Imo for being resilient during their game with Team Enugu.
Amaraizum said: "I can confirm to you that it worth this organisation. We need some more of this because it's a way of encouraging these young lads to grow up to becoming a champion.
"A lot of energy, techniques and professional movements from these guys. We can see how a team can navigate from a lower level towards making it as champions.
"The Imo team have got all the resilient and the spirit of never to give up. In all, the two teams displayed the thing that were accepted in basketball."
Team Imo led by the only female coach of the tournament, Nkwocha Joyce, Motivated by the Chairman of the association in the state ,Mr Kelechi Anosike and his member, Kennedy Onwunali came back strong in the semi finals with a 35-33 win over team Abia and rounded up the tournament with a 43-42 win over team Enugu in the final.
The four days competition was part of the developmental programs outlined by the South-East Basketball Association towards developing the game at the grassroot in the zone in the next four years.
Players and officials were excited with the standard of the competition which to them is a surprise package as the hardly have frequent competitions like this which made their careers suffer setback at the past, and gave kudos to the South East Basketball Association (SEBA) for the revival of the game in the zone.
