Benin - Kano Pillars battle Cameroun Condor in 1/4 finals

From tribune.com.ng
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Nigeria DStv, Premier League champion, Kano Pillars basketball club will take on Cameroun side, Condor basketball club in the first quarter-finals of the 25th Africa Champion Cup for Men at the sports hall of the Stade L’Amite Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

Pillars top Group-A of Africas biggest club championship for men maintaining a hundred percent record while Condor basketball club edged another Nigerian side, Royal Hoopers basketball club in both sides last Group-B game by 60-49 points.

Pillars and Nigeria senior national team guard, Abubakar Usman says the real battle for the soul of the African title just began with the quarter-final pairing released on Wednesday night by the Secretariat of the continental ruling body, FIBA Africa.

Usman charged his teammates to go all out against the Camerounians who proved book-makers wrong last Sunday to end the invicibility of the defending champion, Primeiro de Agosto basketball club.

However, Usman is optimistic that Pillars would be able to do the job of getting past Condor basketball club but opined that Kano Pillars always respect every opponent but would approach the game with all seriousness.

“We are happy with the quarter-finals pairing and the game will be treated with all seriousness as we cannot afford to drop the game at this stage of the competition which is about the most important aspect of any competition because the loser never get another opportunity to re-write the wrong commited.

“Though we respect Condor like every other team especially when they are the only side to have defeated Primeiro de Agosto in the last three year of the Africa Champions Cup that alone is enough morale booster for them but we shall do everything possible to stop them on Friday.

“Our team is made up of tested players who knows what it take to play a team like Condor and our bench knows what to do at every given time as we match on to the African title.

If successful against Condor on Friday Kano Pillars will meet the winner between Inter-Club basketball club of Congo Brazzaville and AS Sale basketball club of Morocco on Saturday.

Other quarter-finals game billed for Friday, Inter-Club basketball club of Congo Brazzavile will lock horns against AS Sale basketball club of Morocco in the second quarter-final, the third quarter-final will see Manga basketball club of Gabon testing the might of the defending champion Primeiro de Agosto basketball club of Angola while ASB Mazembe basketball club of Democratic Republic of Congo will battle Maxaquene basketball club of Mozambique in the fourtj quarter-final pairing at 18H00.

After losing out of the quarter-final race debutant, Royal Hoopers basketball club of Nigeria will continue its match for a placement in the championship with a 9-11 position game against Libya AL Ahly basketball club at 10H00 Friday.