Basketball: Rivers Hoopers emerge victorious over Energie

Rivers Hoopers survived a late scare to beat Energie of Benin Republic 64-59 in their last Group B game of the Louis Edem Invitational Basketball Championship in Lagos. Buchi Nwaiwu scored 12 points while Samuel Sani added 10 points for the KingsMen. Hoopers scored five 3s and shot 12-of-14 from the free throw line, which was pivotal to their win. The KingsMen, who held an 18-point lead at the end of the third quarter, struggled at both ends of the floor in the fourth. Energie outscored the Nigerian champions 28-15 in the last quarter. The Beninese team knocked down four-threes in the last three minutes of the game. For a second consecutive game, Michael Daramola came through for the KingsMen as he scored back-to-back points (4) to stretch the lead to 11 (62-51) with 1:44 left. An 8-2 run by Energie in the last few seconds reduced the deficit to 5 points. Rivers Hoopers finished with a 4-0 in the group stage while Energie finished with a 2-2 mark. Rivers Hoopers will play Spintex Knights in a repeat of last year’s semifinals while ASPAC will face Police Batons on Friday. The Ghanaian team defeated Hoopers in the last edition.

Read More

Basketball: Rivers Hoopers stay unbeaten with victory over Ebun Comets

Nigerian champions, Rivers Hoopers made it back-to-back wins in the ongoing Louis Edem Invitational Basketball Championship after a 70-48 victory over Ebun Comets on Tuesday. The KingsMen, who were on standby 24 hours earlier, struggled on the offensive end at the start of the first quarter. Buchi Nwaiwu contributed 8 points to give Hoopers a 2-point lead going to the break (34-32). Midway through the third quarter, Hoopers had built a double-digit lead, which was further stretched to 12 points with 4 minutes remaining. Two late three-pointers by Abel Offia and Toye Duro-Ladipo in the fourth extended the gap to 22 points. Rivers Hoopers will play against Police Batons in their next game on Wednesday.

Read More

Rivers Hoopers defeat Hoops and Read

Nigeria Premier Basketball League champions Rivers Hoopers started their campaign at the 2025 Louis Edem Invitational Basketball Championship with a 72-54 win over Hoops and Read on Sunday. It was the third win for Hoopers over the Olumide Oyedeji-led team within the last three months. The KingsMen won the NPBL Atlantic Conference fixture on November 2 and followed it up with a commanding victory in the Final of the Final 8 tournament two weeks later. Hoopers who were without their head coach, Ogoh Odaudu, shook off a slow start in the first quarter to lead by 10 points (31-21) midway through the second quarter. Hoops and Read crawled their way back into the game with successive dunks, which took the game to a tie at 44-44 in the third quarter. They, however, struggled at both ends in the fourth, handing over the victory to a resilient Hoopers. The KingsMen will next play Comets on Tuesday.

Read More