Rivers Hoopers began their 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) Playoffs campaign with an 84-71 win against a determined Kano Pillars side on Sunday.
The KingsMen made an explosive start, scoring the first 10 points of the game and establishing control early. Their advantage reached 14 points at its peak before Kano reduced the margin to eight by the interval.
Kano Pillars responded impressively after halftime, with accurate three-point shooting driving their recovery. They moved to within 61-60 at the start of the final quarter and were just two points behind at 69-67 with slightly more than three minutes left. Rivers Hoopers then held firm, producing a game-clinching 15-4 surge to secure the victory.
“I expected the opening game to be scrappy,” Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odaudu said. “Our priority was simply to get the win. That is the objective at the moment: take it one game at a time and continue winning.”
John Idoga topped Rivers Hoopers’ scoring with 15 points, followed by Abel Offia’s 12. Peter Olisemeka controlled the paint with 11 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, while Onyebuchi Nwaiwu finished with seven points and eight boards. The Hoopers also received a major lift from their reserves, who produced 49 points.
Odaudu’s team still had weaknesses to address, particularly in possession management and defensive execution. Rivers Hoopers turned the ball over 25 times compared with Kano’s 16, enabling Pillars to record 14 steals and convert the Hoopers’ mistakes into 24 points.
“We allowed too many uncontested attempts, failed to apply enough pressure to the ball and surrendered too many offensive rebounds,” Odaudu acknowledged. “Those are areas we have to improve and reduce. It was our first game, so there were still nerves and other issues, but we should be better by tomorrow.”
Rivers Hoopers will play again on Monday, meeting Lagos Raptors on Day Two of the playoffs. The game is scheduled to begin at 6pm.
The remaining Day Two matchups are:
Kano Pillars vs 313 Warriors (12pm)
Hoops & Read vs Maktown Flyers (2pm)
Gboko City Chiefs vs Aso Skyhawks (4pm)
Every fixture will take place at the Basketball Stadium, 59 Niger Street, Port Harcourt Township, Rivers State.
