Women’s Basketball in Nigeria received a shot in the arm in Lagos as the 1st D.K Olukoya Girls Basketball Championship tipped off at the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Monday.

The 8-team tournament features teams from across the country including perennial champions of the women’s league, First Bank basketball club of Lagos, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Queens, Warrior Amazons and Raptors Girls from Lagos.

Others include War Queens from Sango Ota, Sunshine Queens of Akure and Delta Queens alongside hosts Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Women Basketball.

As part of the opening ceremony, Ace sports journalist with Supersport, Chisom Mbonu Ezeoke enjoined all the participants to remain disciplined and believe in the beauty of their dreams as women athletes.

“The possibilities for success are endless if you work hard and remain undaunted regardless of whatever challenges that you may face in life especially as women in this country,” she told the athletes.

“Let no one make you feel you can’t achieve whatever dream you set for yourself. If you want to be an Olympian the journey to the Olympics starts now,” she added.

In the opening match of the tournament, coach Adewunmi Aderemi’s MFM Women’s Basketball Club emerged victorious thanks to a resolute hold off of a second-half fightback from Warrior Amazons in a game that ended 63-44.

Day 2 of the D.K Olukoya Girls Basketball Championship will see Delta Queens take on IGP Queens at 10 am, First Bank battle War Queens at 11:30 am, while Sunshine Angels and Raptors lock horns at 1 pm on Tuesday at the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.