Dolphins win female basketball tournament

Dolphins defeated the defending champions.

Dolphins female basketball club of Lagos on Monday emerged winners of the 2012 Mark D-Ball tournament.

The club defeated the defending champions, Pearls basketball team of Lagos to clinch the trophy.

The final match, which took place at Otukpo Sports Arena, was a thrilling moment for the champions when they beat their rivals 32-24 points.

The defending champions, who had 10 points against the 11 points of Dolphins during the first time out, could not equalise at the end of the fourth quarter.

Okworogun Ochuko, Head Coach of Dolphins, said she was very happy and impressed by the performance of the girls. Ochuko said it was possible that their opponents underrated them after beating them at the group stage.

“I feel so happy; the first time we met at the group match they defeated us. May be, they have underrated us and it was in their mind that they have beaten us once and they can do it again,” she said.

Ochuko said after they were defeated by Pearls in the group match, they went back to work on their lapses and were determined to come out strong at the final.

“Being that we lost before, we now went back and looked at where we were lacking, what we did wrong and what we did right. We went to work on them and came back, they were not expecting what they got and when they realised it was already late,” she said.

The Captain of Dolphins, Tokunbo Olaoshibikan, said she felt so great that they won the trophy, adding that they had sacrificed so much to attend the tournament.

“I feel so great because coming down here we had to sacrifice our Christmas and New Year with our families and coming down here for the first time it was tough but am happy we won,” Olaoshibikan said.

NAN