Abia State’s male basketball team, Abia Stars, defeated the Anambra basketball team 26-50 at the indoor hall of Umuahia township stadium on Thursday as the South East Basketball Championship kicked off.

The Abia team, captained by Ifeanyi Emmanuel Kpatuma, produced a scintillating performance in the game, dominating the four rounds and converting most of their chances.

The South East Championship, which is being hosted by Abia State, will end on Saturday, while the eventual winner will represent the South East in the annual National Basketball Championship.

While declaring the championship open, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development Nwaobilor Ananaba and Abia State Director of Sports Obioma George said the Olympic-standard basketball equipment that was acquired by the Abia State government was installed at the Umuahia Township Stadium before the kickoff.

They noted that many of the Abia Star players were harvested from the recently concluded Abia State Grassroots Games.

The Commissioner and Director of Sports both said that Governor Alex Otti is interested in developing sports in the state and turning every sport into a big revenue earner.

The chairman of the Abia State Basketball Association, Victor Okoro, challenged the players to become future global basket champions using the Umuahia tournament as the ladder.

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