Kwese Basketball League champions Kano Pillars Basketball Club opened their FIBA Africa Zone 3 Men’s Club Championship account on a bright note, on Sunday evening by beating Mark Mentors of Abuja 74-69 in their opening match.
The two teams gave the best in the entertaining and competitive game that saw Kano Pillars dominating the game to edge past their opponents.
Pillars’ star player Abubakar Usman later said that their victory was unique, as it was important to them to pick the very first game.
“As defending champions, we had to win and maintain our dominance in the competition. We are a force to reckon with, so we want to remain unmatched by every other opposition,” he said.
Usman Musa, team captain of Mark Mentors, on his part said it was a disappointing start for them.
But he assured that his team would work harder so as to bounce back in their second game.
“To be honest, we gave our best and we were determined to pick the available winning points, but unfortunately it did not come our way.
“We will strive to pick the next game for us to prove our quality and advance to the semi-finals,” Musa said.
NAN reports that the other clubs in the competition are Gombe Bulls, Defenders of Abuja, Customs Club of Ghana and ASPAC of Benin Republic.
The championship ends on Saturday, with the best two clubs representing the zone at the FIBA Africa Men’s Club Championship slated to hold in Angola.
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