City League - Union Bank beat Comets, pocket N.1m

The epic encounter took place at the Indoor hall of the Rowe Park Sports Center, Yaba brought out the best from both sides with Comets
winning the first quarter 23-09 as almost every ball thrown by players of the 2003 premier league champion find the basket of the Stallion boys who fought back like wounded lions in the second quarter with barrages of three points shot from the duo of Louis Edem Ekpeyong and Victor Okoro while Ejike Ugboaja who was later crowned the tournament Most Valuable Player provided enough cover at the post
grabbing valuable rebounds that ensure that the champion won the quarter 26-13 points to bring half-time scores to 36-35 in favour of Comets.

The third quarter was not different from the second as Union Bank continues to mount more pressure on Comets with beautiful combination and perfect team chemistry to end the quarter 22-16 points for a 57-52 points lead. The margin was further stressed to 12 points in early fourth quarter but for the ingenuity of Baba Jibril, Rasheed Bello and other Comets players who rose to the challenges of the day to bring the fourth quarter score to 20-18 in its favour for a 75-72 points lose.

As champion Union Bank went home with the sum of One hundred thousand naira, trophy and gold medals, Comets on the other hand got Seventy-five thousand naira, trophy and silver medals while third placed Customs who had the better side of Islanders (61-49) was Fifty thousand naira richer, a trophy and bronze medals.

National U-21 forward Ejike Ugboaja who was adjudged the league MVP went home with the sum of Thirty thousand naira, Ten thousand from the league organizers and an additional Twenty thousand from the immediate past Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council, Deji Tinubu who was among the dignitaries that graced the occasion.

Other top dignitaries that was on hand to support the efforts of the Babs Ogunade led board of the Lagos State Basketball Association includes the chairman of the sports council, Agboola Pinheiro, Sam Ocheiho, Peter Nelson, D’Tigers duo of Tunji Awojobi and Olumide Oyedeji, Tunde Abozo, Abimbola Faniran, Nike Carew and the sports council secretary Sanya among others.

LSBBA Chairman, Ogunade, expressed his delight with the organization of the league and promised that it is the beginning of a new dawn for the sport in Lagos State.

The former Nigeria international forward declared that the present board of the LSBBA is committed to the upliftment of the game of basketball in Lagos State and by extension the entire country.

"I can only thanked those who stood by the board in seeing that this championship becosmes a reality, I also want to thank all the eighteen teams (twelve male and six female) who started the race on May31 and most especially the four that made it to the semi-finals in both categories, I feel humbled that we are able to get basketball on the right track in Lagos State once again and all I want to assure all stake-holders is that this is just the beginning of many championships to come", the LSBBA boss stated.