Dolphins Basketball Club of Lagos on Tuesday defeated Mountain of Fire Miracles (MFM) Basketball Club 43–37 to win the Olukoya Daniel Championships.
The fifth edition featured no fewer than eight teams battling for the championship trophy.
Dolphins displayed clear dominance throughout the match and remained in control from start to finish, never coming under serious pressure from MFM.
They raced to a commanding 15–2 lead by the close of the first quarter and sustained their dominance through the second and third quarters.
Although MFM mounted a late challenge, they struggled to cope with the Dolphins’ greater intensity and cohesion, which sealed a well-deserved victory for the team.
Damilola Olubode, captain of the Dolphins, said the team put in a solid performance and completely merited the win. She noted that they had prepared diligently for the tournament and remained unfazed by the strength of their opponents.
“We are confident heading into the women’s league. This competition served as good preparation for what’s to come,” Olubode said.
She thanked the organisers and sponsors and expressed hope for more competitions later in the year.
Ukamaka Okoh, captain of MFM, said the team gave a good effort but were outplayed by a more composed opponent.
“We lost to a strong side. It’s disappointing, but we are grateful to compete in a tournament hosted by our sponsors.
“It’s painful to lose first place to Dolphins, but we’ve learnt valuable lessons and will train harder moving forward,” Okoh said.
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Coordinator, Godwin Enakhena,said the competition was created for players who train year-round to showcase their skills. He said he was pleased with the success of all five editions and looked forward to a stronger outing next year.
“With the Zenith Bank Women’s League approaching, this tournament helped players fine-tune preparations,” Enakhena said.
He added that MFM’s defeat was partly due to a depleted squad, with some players yet to return from abroad.
The organiser, Dr Daniel Olukoya, expressed delight over this year’s success and promised more tournaments in the future. He reaffirmed MFM’s commitment to empowering young people through sports development.
