Civil Defenders at the weekend failed to utilise their chances to shoot ahead of visiting AS Sale of Morocco in the first leg of their AfroLeague Basketball contest held at the Indoor Hall of Abuja National Stadium. The game ended 69-69. And the team’s coach, Paul Gombwa blames the draw on inferiority complex.
Before the game Gombwa was hopeful of his players shocking the enterprising AS Sale, but in reality, they lacked the technical know-how to hold the invading defending champions from Morocco. However, the coach is still optimistic of success in the return leg in Morocco on April 12.
“My players gave a good account of themselves, and would resume training immediately for the return leg. The slight issue some of my players had was their inability to assert themselves in the game, being their first time ever of encountering white skinned players on the court.
“After the first quarter, I was able to counsel them that they were all the same human beings. “With this scoreline, I believe we will be able to shock the Moroccans before their home crowd,” coach Gombwa said.
With less than 10 seconds to the end of the encounter, the Defenders’ Ocheibi Okpe fluffed a golden opportunity to shoot his team into the lead, thus ending it 69-69.Coach Zelko Zeghevich of AS Sale has however asked Gombwa to forget advancing to the Elite of the AfroLeague, saying: “The Civil Defenders will be defenseless to my players attack.“We came with the aim of not conceding much baskets, and if possible to suffer a slim defeat, and we got a draw. The return leg will be a real humiliation of the Civil Defenders,” Zegjevich said afterwards.
