MFM edge First Bank to win women’s basketball title
MFM Basketball Club defeated First Bank 49-41 to win the maiden Louis Edem West Africa Women’s Basketball Championship in Lagos.
Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) Basketball Club defeated First Bank 49-41 on Saturday to win the maiden Louis Edem West Africa Women’s Basketball Championship. Both sides produced an entertaining final, battling fiercely for the trophy at the tournament’s inaugural edition.
MFM captain, Ukamaka Okoh, described the victory as a major confidence booster ahead of the forthcoming Nigeria Women’s Basketball League season. She said First Bank provided the ideal test and helped her team demonstrate its readiness to challenge for domestic honours. “We have been preparing all year for opportunities like this and we are delighted with the result at the end of the day,” she said.
Earlier, Victoria Queens of Lagos defeated GRA of Ghana 54-48 in the third-place match. Founder of the championship, Louis Edem, praised all participating teams and described the tournament as another landmark achievement for the Louis Edem Foundation.
The inclusion of women’s teams and the participation of sides from Ghana mark a significant step forward for West African basketball. For too long, women’s basketball has been an afterthought. The tournament provided a platform for female athletes to showcase their talent and compete at a high level.
This echoes the 2018 inaugural women’s basketball tournaments in Nigeria, which also sought to elevate the women’s game. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a growing recognition of women’s basketball in the region.
The winners: MFM Basketball Club, which won the title; and women’s basketball in West Africa, which gains visibility. The losers: First Bank, which fell short in the final; and the teams that did not make the podium.
Bottom Line: MFM have won the inaugural women’s championship. The tournament is a win for women’s basketball. The question is whether the momentum will be sustained.