Drama and new kings were on offer as defending champions, Maktown Flyers, suffered a second straight loss, 64-72, to Asosky Hawks, to give Rivers Hoopers control of the title race with a commanding 88-76 victory over Gboko City Chiefs on the penultimate day of the Nigeria Premier Basketball League Final Four.
Maktown Flyers began on the front foot, taking the first quarter 19-16 and the first five minutes of the next, 31-24.
The next five minutes before the break saw the Aso Sky Hawks bounce back, tying 36 all with 2:15 to go in the second quarter.
They relied heavily on steals (6) and rebounds (21), 15 defensive, showcasing resilience. Maktown racked up 12 turnovers, allowing the Hawks to score six points off them.
After returning from the break, Maktown tried to regain their lead but couldn’t; they trailed 53-60 at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter was brutal, with coach Mike Ikima telling his side to keep it simple, dig deep, and hustle.
With under a minute to go, Keita Mohammed shot a decisive two to end Maktown’s three-minute scoring drought, and a block on the other end of the court gave Maktown some hope -64-70, the score stood with 34.1 seconds to go. Hawks joined the block party, fending off what was a Maktown resurgence and ultimately grabbing a 64-72 victory.
For the entirety of the game, Hawks made 28 points off the Flyers’ turnovers. Flyers had no second-chance points; Hawks had seven. Paul Dibal led the game with 19 points.
Nigeria Premier Basketball League: Rivers Hoopers Are Champions
Rivers Hoopers reclaimed the summit of Nigerian basketball on Monday, draining 12 three-pointers to dismantle Gboko City Chiefs 88-76 on Day Two of the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) Final Four and secure the national championship with a game to spare.
Gboko City Chiefs and Rivers Hoopers had a chance to go two up and lead in the head-to-head if it came to that.
2024 NPBL champions and Basketball Africa League bronze medalists Rivers Hoopers led 13-6 with 5 minutes left, but the Benue-based side were not going to go down that easily as they fought and took a 19-18 lead at the end of the first quarter, capitalising on fast breaks, turnovers and points in the paint.
Johnson Anaye’s three-point buzzer-beater gave the Kingsmen the momentum they needed to hit hard in the second quarter, which they eventually led by 10 at the end of the half.
The Kingsmen hit 12 three-pointers and erased the deficit to take control in the second quarter, leading 45-35 at halftime before stretching the margin to as much as 21 points.
The win, coupled with Maktown Flyers’ 72-64 loss to Asosky Hawks, also sealed Hoopers’ place in the 2027 Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Omar Abada led the champions with 18 points, while Peter Olisemeka recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Abel Offia added 14 points, and Chinedu Nwaogu scored 13 off the bench.
Nigeria Premier Basketball League: Kingsmen Redemption Arc
The title completes Rivers Hoopers’ redemption after their heartbreaking loss in the 2025 final. Head coach Ogoh Odaudu praised his players’ dominant display, while Nwaogu celebrated winning his first league title in just his second professional season.
The Final Four concludes Tuesday, with Hoopers facing defending champions Maktown Flyers in a ceremonial rematch of last year’s final at 6 pm. Before that, Aso Sky Hawks and Gboko City Chiefs will slug it out by 3 pm.
