Nigeria volleyball player Christiana Amaka Paul has finished as the fourth-best scorer at the just concluded 2026 African Senior Women’s Volleyball Nations Championship in Kenya on Friday.

Amaka scored 94 points, including 76 successful attacks, to rank fourth among the tournament’s top scorers as Nigeria finished in ninth place at the tournament.

The Nigerian Opposite Hitter expressed her appreciation to the coaching crew led by Head coach Elishama Elam and her teammates for their support throughout the competition.

She said the encouragement and guidance from the coaching staff and her teammates played an important role in her performance at the championship.

Amaka said: “I want to sincerely thank our coach, Elishama Elam, and the entire coaching crew for their support, guidance and belief in us throughout the tournament.

“I also appreciate my teammates and everyone who supported us. Their encouragement gave me the confidence to keep fighting and giving my best for Nigeria. I will not forget to appreciate the Kenyans for their love and support too.

“This statistics will encourage me to give my best and improve in my performance when we return to Nigeria for the second phase of the 2026 CGC Volleyball Premier League.”

Nigeria captain Ijeoma Ukpabi also finished among the tournament’s top scorers, ranking eighth with 86 points and 75 successful attacks.

Meanwhile, Maryam Ibrahim completed Nigeria’s representation in the top 10, finishing as the 10th-best scorer with 74 points, including 68 successful attacks.

Edo Queens Football Club of Nigeria  at the weekend defeated Ghana’s Women League champions, Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC 4-1 in a penalty shootout to win the WAFU-B tournament for the second time.

It was a breathtaking scene in Ouagadougou on Saturday night when the Nigerian champions produced a spirited comeback twice to frustrate the Ghana champions who were yet to suffer any defeat at the tournament before the thrilling shootouts ensued.

The fiercely contested final match had ended 2-2 at regulation period of 90 minutes as goals from Doosuur Anastasia Atume (4mns); Oluebube Umejiaku (90+4mns) canceled out Beline Nyarkoh 2nd and 74th minute brace.

Edo Queens lifted the WAFU-B cup for the first time in 2024 and progressed to a 4th place finish at the CAF Champions League proper in Morocco.

The Nigeria’s representatives redeemed their image with the 4-1 victory over their Ghanaian counterparts Ampem Darkoa Ladies who handed them the only defeat they suffered in the WAFU-B tournament.

The group B last game ended 2-1 in favour of Ampem , topping the group ahead of Edo Queens.

On the road to the finals, Edo Queens at the semi-finals stage, recorded an overwhelming 5-1 victory over the host country’s USFA just as Ampem Darkoa Ladies spanked Benin Republic’s FC Dynamique 4-1 to advance to the final in the championship.

The Benin girls trashed AS Garde Nationale of Niger 7-0 in their first group match and later triumphed over ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast 3-1 before their 2-1 loss to Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the third match.

D’Tigress  Out Of 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Reckoning (4)

Nigeria’s D’Tigresses have been eliminated from the ongoing 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, after South Korea’s 95-69 defeat to France on Saturday, ended the African champions’ hopes of advancing to the knockout phase.

France’s emphatic victory gave the European powerhouse a second win in two group games, having earlier defeated Hungary, while South Korea had already secured a crucial victory over Nigeria.

The result leaves Nigeria unable to finish above South Korea or Hungary, regardless of what happens in their final group match against France.

Even a remarkable 100-point victory over France would not be enough to propel D’Tigresses into the next phase because of the head-to-head rule used to separate teams tied on points.

The development is particularly painful for Nigeria because of the structure of the 2026 competition.

Under the World Cup format, the four group winners advance directly to the quarter-finals, while teams finishing second and third in each group enter a single-elimination qualification round for the last eight.

The crossover qualification games are played between teams from Groups A and B, and Groups C and D. The winners of those do-or-die encounters then advance to the quarter-finals to face the four group winners.

Teams finishing fourth in their respective groups, however, are eliminated at the conclusion of the group stage.

Nigeria’s elimination means D’Tigress cannot reach even the qualification to-the quarter finals stage and will have to settle for their final group fixture against France.

The setback also marks a significant regression from Nigeria’s historic performance at the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Tenerife, Spain, where D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals.

That 2018 campaign remains Nigeria’s best-ever performance at the Women’s World Cup, and the team had hoped to match or surpass that achievement in Germany.

Instead, the African champions have been knocked out at the group stage, ending their hopes of another deep run on the global stage.

D’Tigresses hoped to face France in their final game, with pride and a positive finish to the tournament the remaining objectives for Rena Wakama’s side.

Rivers Hoopers struggled through a poor shooting night and succumbed to their first defeat of the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) Playoffs on Saturday, falling 67-74 to Aso Sky Hawks on the final day of round-robin action.

The result had no bearing on the postseason standings for the Port Harcourt side, who entered the contest having already secured their spot in the Final Four several days earlier. For the Sky Hawks, however, the win stamped their ticket to the championship round.

Aso Sky Hawks seized control early, taking a 24-15 lead in the opening quarter. The KingsMen battled back to claim the second period 24-21, but a cold shooting night ultimately doomed Hoopers’ bid for a clean sweep of the playoffs. The Hoopers struggled from long range, converting just 5 of 28 attempts (17.8%) from beyond the arc, while also being out-rebounded 49-41 by a physical Sky Hawks front court.

Despite the perimeter struggles, vice-captain Onyebuchi Nwaiwu produced a standout performance, recording a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Nikolaos Okekuoyen, Peter Olisemeka, and Anaiye Johnson chipped in 8 points apiece.

Rivers Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odaudu brushed off the setback, attributing the result to an off-night rather than structural issues.

“We were just off tonight. We didn’t play our usual basketball,” Odaudu said after the game. “We didn’t play as well as we usually do, and we lost by seven points, so it was just one of those days where nothing seemed to work for you. Nothing to be alarmed about.”

“Our major aim in the tournament was to qualify for the Final Four, which we had done as far back as three or four days ago,” Odaudu added. “So all these were just an opportunity for us to get better. And trust me, whether we lost it or not, I think we got better.”

With seven gruelling games played in seven consecutive days, the teams will now take a breather before regrouping for the season-ending Final Four tournament to crown the 2026 NPBL champions.

Odaudu emphasized that immediate physical recovery will be the priority before tactical preparations resume.

“The first week is going to be a week of rest. These people are not machines. They’ve played back-to-back games for seven days,” Odaudu noted. “We’re going to let them recover. But it’s not rest for us [coaches] because we have to start thinking about all the things we are going to do at practice. Second and third weeks, we are going to be practising full-time and putting in work.”

Center Peter Olisemeka echoed his coach’s thoughts on the physical demands of the playoff schedule and looked ahead to the final stretch of the season.

“It’s definitely not normal to play seven games in seven days,” Olisemeka said. “It’s really physical. Players are fatigued… But okay, it goes both ways. All the games are extra physical, so it’s been really challenging. Congratulations to the team that won. We’re looking forward to the Final Four. That’s where the main aim will be, top of the table. So we have to keep going from there.”