Royal Hoopers Retain DStv Men’s Basketball League Title

Published

14 years ago

August 1, 2012

Royal Hoopers of Port-Harcourt, the defending champions, DStv Men’s Basketball League, on Saturday in Lagos successfully retained their title at the end of 2011/2012 season.

Hoopers defeated former three-time champions of the league, Kano Pillars, 62-51 at the final to retain its title.

Fans at the In-door Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, venue of the competition, were thrilled to an exciting final match.

The defending champions took the first two quarters of the final match at 19-17 and 19-10 respectively.

Pillars however rallied from behind in the third set to narrowly claim the set at 11-10.

Hoopers mustered courage in the fourth and last quarter and also narrowly took the set at 14-13 to emerge the champions.

Dodan Warriors of Lagos defeated Lagos slanders 78-71 to emerge the third placed winners.

Hoopers went home with a cash prize of N1 million and a trophy, Pillars took N750,000, while Warriors received N500,000 and with a trophy each.

Pillars Adele Ademola emerged the highest re-bounder, Hoopers Kingsley Aguara was named the MVP, while Abubakar of Usman also of Pillars was the highest scorer.

The champions and runners-up would represent Nigeria at the Africa Club Championship later in the year.

Coach Ogoh Odaudu of Hoopers expressed delight on his team’s successful defense of its title.

“Our defense has finally confirmed us as the real champion, it was a rough start from the beginning but we are able to retain our title with determination,” Odaudu said.

He said that the club was faced with some financial challenges during the regular season which accounted for their low performance at the beginning of the season.

“I am happy we overcame the problems that affected our performance during the regular season. Thank God we are able to retain our title.

“It was not an easy fight to get to the final and win the title, because every team at the Final Eight is a potential winner,” Odaudu said.

Coach Ibrahim Maku of Pillars blamed their loss on too many mistakes made by his player during the final match adding that it was also a bad day for his team.

Maku who described Hoopers as a good team added that the winners made good use of every opportunity to make good basket.

The coach denounced insinuation that the ongoing fasting affected his players’ performance noting that his players after all won their preliminary and semi-final matches fasting.

Rivers-born Chess Player Clinches Third Position At World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship

Published

4 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

A veteran Rivers State chess player, Apollos Akomaka, has finished in joint 3rd place at the just-concluded World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship held in Abuja.

Akomaka, who is the director of physiotherapy at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, overcame a shaky start to secure a podium finish in the 11-round rapid event that began on August 2.

The tournament featured top chess players from several countries.

After losing his opening game, the defining moment for Akomaka came between Rounds 7 and 11.

He raised his game and began defeating some of the top-ranked players in the event.

The Rivers-born player ended the championship tied for 3rd place in the U2000 category with 6.5 points out of 11, alongside Cameroon’s national champion, Noumbo Vidal.

His final game was against Vidal, with the Nigerian playing the black pieces.

Vidal opened with a queen’s gambit but quickly transposed into an English opening with a double fianchetto attack.

Akomaka responded sharply with a king’s Indian defense and soon launched a kingside attack from a defensive position.

The pressure paid off, resulting in an immediate material gain, a knight for a rook, and leaving Akomaka with a strong attacking advantage.

Vidal fought hard to avoid mate and managed to steer the game into an endgame, where he found some respect. At that point, the Cameroon champion offered a draw, which Akomaka accepted.

Speaking after the event, Akomaka said that he is resilient and determined after the poor start but happy that he finished on the podium.

He expressed optimism that in subsequent competitions he will make Rivers State proud and Nigeria at large.

Akomaka has won both local and national chess championships in recent times.

He is passionate about chess; besides, he has equally sponsored several national chess tournaments in Nigeria.

The World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship concluded with Akomaka of Rivers State,

Nigeria, battling back from an early loss to end among the top three in his category

Tonye Orabere/Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Team Nigeria Secures Women’s 4x100m, 4x400m Finals at World U20 Championships

Published

4 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

Team Nigeria continued its impressive showing at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, securing places in both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay finals after strong performances in the heats.

The Nigerian quartet of Becky Ebiyadi, Jecinta Lawrence, Tejiri Praise Ugoh and Faith Ezechukwu booked their place in the women’s 4x400m final after clocking a season’s best of 3:35.28.

Nigeria finished third in the heat behind Italy and Great Britain, doing enough to advance to the final and remain firmly in contention for a medal.

In the women’s 4x100m, Ugoh joined Lucy Nwankwo, Chigozie Nwankwo and Oluebube Ezechukwu as Nigeria produced another season’s best, clocking 43.65 seconds to secure an automatic ticket to the women’s 4x100m final.

The qualification was sealed by a sensational anchor leg from Ezechukwu. Receiving the baton nearly 20 metres behind the United States, the Nigerian launched a determined charge down the home straight, rapidly closing the gap before edging the Americans at the line to claim the third automatic qualifying position.

Nigeria stopped the clock at 43.65 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of the United States, who finished in 43.67 seconds.

The performances mean Nigeria will now contest both women’s relay finals, further strengthening the country’s medal prospects at the championships.

In Saturday’s evening phase of the event, Success Uyibo will compete in the 200m women’s final while the 4x100m compete in the women’s final.

Sports

Poor welfare forced me to dump Delta for Enugu, says world – Nwachukwu

Published

4 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

World Record holder and Commonwealth Games champion, Goodness Nwachukwu, has revealed why she dumped Delta State for Enugu State.

The sudden departure of Nwachukwu, a multiple gold medallist, from Team Delta to the Coal City, Enugu , sparked controversy within the sports family, with officials of Delta State Sports Commission accusing the president of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria, Sunday Odebode, of manipulating the system for the athlete to dump the state.

But Nwachukwu, who broke the World Record to win a gold medal for Team Nigeria in the Women’s Discus F42 event at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has cleared the air on the circumstances that led to her movement to Enugu State.

Speaking with The Tidesports source report, shortly after winning the gold medal, Nwachukwu said: “It is not true that anybody aided my movement from Delta State to Enugu. Rather, it was Delta State that forced me to leave because of poor remuneration.