The Nigeria Customs Women’s Basketball Team demonstrated resilience in the final quarter of their match against Societe Omnisport De L’Armee of Ivory Coast.
They won a score of 66-59 at the ongoing FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball League Zone 3 Qualifier held at the SKD Gymnasium in Paynesville, Monrovia, Liberia.
The Customs Ladies, who secured their first win on Tuesday, started strong, dictating the game’s pace.
Kourtni Perry and Tobiloba Ogedengbe played pivotal roles in maintaining the team’s solidity both in defence and attack, allowing them to end the first quarter with a lead of 24-18.
In the second quarter, the Customs Ladies further asserted their control, scoring 16 points compared to just 8 from their Ivorian opponents.
They finished the first half with a commanding lead of 40-26. However, when the third quarter resumed, the bench of Societe Omnisport De L’Armee rallied their team, trying to push the Border Girls into defence.
They scored 18 points against Customs’ 14, narrowing the lead to 10 points at the end of the quarter. In the final quarter, Coach Abdulrahman of the Nigeria Customs Service Basketball Team employed various strategies to stifle the Ivorian ladies’ momentum.
Despite their efforts, the team ultimately lost the game, ending with a score of 66-59 in favour of the Adewale Adeniyi ladies.
After the game, Head Coach Abdulrahman Mohammed acknowledged the challenge posed by the match but credited their victory to experience.
“First of all, I want to thank my ladies for holding on during the game because it was a physically demanding and energy-consuming match. Both teams had won their opening games, and I warned my players that it wouldn’t be easy, but I’m glad we achieved the desired result.”
“We are here to win again, and we must approach every game with the mindset of reaching our target. Every team here is competitive, so we need to put this game behind us and prepare for our next challenge.”
The FIBA Zone 3 AWBL defending champions, Nigeria Customs Service Basketball Club, will play their final group game against the Commissioners of Liberia tomorrow evening at the same venue.
