Nigerian Basketball League: Police Baton will escape relegation – Coach

Union Bank is currently fourth on the log having won six games out of nine played so far.

The Police Baton Basketball Club of Lagos, currently threatened by relegation in the ongoing 2013/2014 DStv Atlantic Conference competition, on Monday vowed that it would escape from the mucky waters.

Police Baton currently occupies the seventh position on the Atlantic Conference eight-team log.

The Coach, Leo Kareem, said in Lagos that the team would not be relegated in spite of its current position on the log.

The teams Week 9 loss to Union Bank of Lagos 69-79 has, however, further compounded the club’s woes.

Union Bank is currently fourth on the log having won six games out of nine played so far.

Kareem, who led the team in the absence of Head Coach, Mark Balogun, said that all hope was not lost yet because the season was still open.

“We are not going to be relegated, truly there are few games to go, but we will surely make it at the end.

“We still have five matches to go before the end of the season out of which one team will be relegated from the conference, so we still have great chances of escaping relegation.

“If we cannot make it as one of the first four teams for the Play-offs, at least we can escape being relegated,” Kareem said.

Meanwhile, Chris Nomigo, the Head Coach of Dodan Warriors of Lagos, has expressed happiness over his team’s brilliant displays and their strings of victories in league.

Warriors are currently third in the conference having won their last three games.

This was, however, after the club’s shocking loss to Nigeria Customs in their Week 6 encounter in April 11.

Nomigo lauded his players’ performances over Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan, saying that the 69-59 humiliation of the high ridding Oluyole was heartwarming.

The coach, who in the current season took over from versatile Coach Peter Ahmedu, now with Mark Mentors of Abuja, admitted that following his predecessor’s records was imperative.

He also said that his team would continue to wax stronger and that all hands were on deck to see them do well.

“I’m confident of my team turning out good results until the end of the current season.

“We lost to Oluyole in Ibadan in our first leg encounter, but defeating them in Lagos with a wider margin shows our edge in the competition and our ability to win,” Nomigo said.

Dodan Warriors next game is against current log leader, Lagos Islanders, who on Friday beat Royal Hoopers, 65-60 in Port-Harcourt to remain atop.

Dodan Warriors had also defeated Islanders, 69-59, in their first leg encounter played in March in Lagos.

“We are aware of Islanders’ current form and it promises to be a tough match indeed, but I have good confidence in my players,’’ he said.

In another match, Lukman Kuti and Emmanuel Balogun of the Nigeria Customs proved too hot for visiting Kwara Falcons as Customs pounded Falcons 63-55.

Kuti and Balogun scored 15 and 13 points respectively, leaving Falcons players mesmerised, especially in the third quarter when Customs sealed the victory.

(NAN)