Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
River Hoopers Basketball Club of Port Harcourt are champions of the just concluded Federal Ministry for Youth & Sports Development (FMYSD) Final 8 tournament.
Rivers Hoopers claimed the title after defeating rivals Gombe Bulls 74-57 at the Indoor Sports Hall, Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Tuesday.
The KingsMen trailed by 6 points (6-12) with 5 minutes into the first quarter but bounced back in the second quarter scoring 36 points as the Bulls managed 31.
Rivers Hoopers went wild in the second half putting the game beyond reach for Gombe Bulls, as they reduced the latter to just 26 points against 38 points made by Hoopers.
Despite missing Emmanuel Balogun to injury early in the game, Victor Anthony Koko stepped up to help close out the encounter. Koko went off for a double-double 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 Blocks, and 2 steals, capping a man-of-the-match display.
The trio of Johnson Anaiye (12), Oriakhi Owen (10), and Buchi Nwaiwu (10) combined for 32 points, for the Port Harcourt-based side.
Oriakhi Owen was awarded a medal for scoring the highest points in the tournament, he was also included in the championship best five alongside Johnson Anaiye who was crowned the MVP of the tournament.
Earlier, Kano Pillars beat Nigeria Customs 82-64 in the third-place game.
Awards
Final MVP – Victor Anthony Koko
Tournament MVP- Johnson Anaiye
Highest Scorer- Owen Oriakhi
Highest rebounder- Ben Akhutie
Best three-point shooter- Abdulwahab Yakubu
Fair Play award- Kwara Falcons
Top 5- Johnson Anaiye, Owen Oriakhi, Wisdom Anyaoha (Gombe), Michael Lordprince (Kwara), Ben Akhutie (Customs)
