Dami Ugbane, Special to ESPN 7y

Rivers Hoopers, Kwara Falcons meet in top-of-the-table clash

Kwara Falcons and Rivers Hoopers will battle it out in a top-of-the-table clash in the Atlantic Conference of the Kwesé Premier Basketball league on Thursday.

Kwara Falcons vs. Rivers Hoopers

Table toppers, Rivers Hoopers face a first away game in over a month when they travel to second placed Kwara Falcons at the Indoor Sports Hall of Kwara Stadium, Ilorin.

The visiting team from Port Harcourt is on an eight game winning streak and that record could be put under threat from a Kwara Falcons team that lost the reverse fixture 66-60.

Falcons were on the road last week, recording mixed results. They lost to Hoops and Reads in a tight encounter on Thursday which went down to the last throw of the game. And, on Saturday, they were not totally convincing in their win against NAF Rockets, a major worry for Coach Aderemi Adewunmi as he could fear his boys are losing steam and may need to recharge their batteries.

Despite their low-key performance, one player stood out in both games. Oyeleye Mojubaoluwa recorded 18 points against Hoops and Reads, following up with a double-double (20 points and 12 rebounds) against NAF Rockets to highlight his red-hot form.

Meanwhile, Rivers Hoopers could look to Solomon Ajegbeyi for some inspiration. The player recorded his third double-double of the season against Police Baton last Saturday-21 points and 10 rebounds.

Rivers Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odaudu told the clubs in-house media personnel that he believes his team will maintain their winning streak on the road.

"We are not going to just show up in Kwara because anytime we go out, we play to compete. We will go all out against Kwara Falcons," said Odaudu.

"They are a team we know very well, we respect them and so we are going to go all out and play.

"We won't take any game for granted as we are going to play very hard," he concluded.

Nigeria Customs vs. Hoops and Reads
Nigeria Customs fresh from their recent away trip will take on Hoops and Reads in the Lagos derby at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.

Third positioned Customs lost against Rivers Hoopers last week in Port Harcourt before rallying around to record an 87-54 win away from home against Delta Force on Saturday.

Hoops and Reads appear to still be learning the ropes in the top-flight following their promotion at the end of last season. They won a thrilling game against Kwara Falcons 76-74 last week, only to lose two days later 93-89 against Oluyole Warriors after overtime.

Fatigue, inexperience and selfish play were the Achilles heel of Hoops and Reads in their loss to Oluyole Warriors. They have been inconsistent this season, failing to build on a winning streak - a situation which has seen them embark on a winning run of two games in the opening week, which represent their longest winless run to date.

NAF Rockets vs. Police Baton
NAF Rockets face Police Batons in a paramilitary derby in Lagos on Thursday. The Nigeria Air force Rockets basketball team lost their two games played in the last round, hence the drop into seventh place on the eight-team table.

Despite the losses recorded last week, Shedrack Avih netted a team high 30 points in both games, an encouraging performance ahead of this week games.

Forward, Emeka Ajaegbu also proved to be reliable from the 3-point range, totalling 28 points in both games, as his clean shots often helped reduce the deficits.

Police Baton has been a bit steadier this season. Surprisingly, they lost to Rockets 73-63 in the reverse fixture but impressive away performances last week on the road might spur them to victory as they look to improve on their present fifth position.

The Coach Emeka Oputa coached Police team defeated Delta Force 56-52 away from home before losing 80-60 against leaders, Rivers Hoopers having won the first half of the game last week in Port Harcourt.

Guard Frank Okafor will be crucial for the Police team as he continues to be the standout player for his side this season. He continued his impressive form, netting 17 points against Rivers Hoopers, having been ruled out of the earlier game against Delta Force.

On the balance of recent form and standings on the table, the Police Baton team should pick a win against a hard fighting NAF Rockets side that need to improve their game play; else they will be candidates for relegation at the seasons end.

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