Kano Pillars Basketball team on Wednesday emerged champions of the Savannah Conference of the 2021 NBBF Premier Basketball Men’s League.
The formidable Pillars defeated their fiercest rivals, Gombe Bulls, 83-75 to maintain their seven-game unbeaten run.
In a highly entertaining contest of the Northern titans, played at the Indoor Sports hall of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, both teams displayed high levels of dexterity.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two dominant Northern teams had not lost any match before their head-to-head encounter on the final day of the competition.
Kano Pillars coach, Sani Ahmed told NAN after the match that the victory was as a result of hard work and good team chemistry.
“We are very happy with this victory because we have been training hard for this. We will go back to the drawing board and perfect our strategy for the national final eight,” Ahmed said.
On the other hand, Abdulrahman Mohammed, the Gombe Bulls coach, who complained about some calls during the game, said the team will work on lapses noticed ahead of the final eight.
With the conclusion of the first phase of the abridged league, four teams from the Savannah conference: Kano Pillars, Gombe Bulls, Nigeria Customs and Benue Braves have qualified for the Super 8 national finals.
Earlier, Nigeria Customs arrested the Defenders team 79-54 to claim third spot on the table on day seven, the final day of the league.
In another highly entertaining game Benue Braves beat Reformers 81- 77 to finish fourth and clinch the last qualifying spot from the Savannah conference.
In the first match of the final day, Gboko City Chiefs edged past Nigeria Army 86-85 in a keenly contested game.
NAN reports that in the Atlantic Conference played in Akure, Rivers’ Hoopers emerged champions off the back of a seven-game unbeaten run, and having defeated hard fighting Kwara Falcons, who settled for second spot.
Police baton and Lagos Islanders also squeezed into the top four from the Atlantic Conference, as attention now shifts to the national final eight, with the top 4 teams in both conferences doing battle in Lagos on a date to be announced by the NBBF.