Nigeria’s only surviving team at the ongoing 25th edition of the Africa Champions Cup for men taking place in Cotonou, Benin Republic, Kano Pillars, say they are looking beyond today’s quarter final clash with Cameroonian side, Condor Basketball Club.
No Nigerian team has ever played in the finals of the continent’s biggest club championships. However, Kano Pillars, who are the champions from Nigeria and also Zone 3 champions, hope to make history by first winning today’s’ tie and making progress in the competition. Pillars and Nigeria senior national team guard, Abubakar Usman, said the real battle for the soul of the African title just began with the quarter-final fixtures.
Team charge
Usman charged his teammates to go all out against the Cameroonians who proved book-makers wrong last Sunday to end the invincibility of the defending champion, Primeiro de Agosto Basketball Club. He declined to comment on the strength of their Cameroonian opponents, and is optimistic that Pillars would be able to do the job of getting past them. He held that Pillars always respect every opponent but would approach the game with all seriousness from the jump-ball to the buzzer. “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 right the wrongs committed,” he said. “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 years 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 know what it takes 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.”
Fine run
Pillars were invincible in the first round where they not only topped their group but also maintained a hundred percent record a feat no other team achieved. Condor beat another Nigerian side, Royal Hoopers Basketball Club on Wednesday in both sides’ last Group-B game by 60-49 points. Other quarter-finals pairings billed for today pitches Inter-Club against AS Sale, while Manga play defending champion, Primeiro de Agosto. ASB Mazembe will battle Maxaquene in the last quarter-final pairing at.
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