By Saheed Ibrahim

The female U-17 basketball team of Ondo state clinched gold at the just concluded Play Against Drug Abuse (PADA) Southwest Under-17 Basketball Championship, held at the indoor sports hall of the Ondo state sports complex, Akure.

The one-week-long competition, which was organized to raise awareness about dangers in teenage drug abuse, featured both male and female U-17 basketball teams across South-West Nigeria.

The Sunshine Girls defeated their counterparts, Hoops Dreams from Oyo state in the final by 50pts to 47pts.

In the male category, Hoops Dreams from Oyo state defeated Ekiti state by 46pts to 33pts to bag the gold medal.

The Ondo state male team failed to win at least a bronze medal in the 3rd place match, losing by 17pts to 23pts to their counterparts from Osun state.

Ahmed Abass (Ondo), Mosadoyin Olalekan (Osun), Olayori Marvelous (Hoop Dreams), Akinyede Opeyemi (Ekiti) and Babs Oluwajuwon (Hoop Dreams) emerged ‘Top 5 Male Players’ at the competition.

In the female category, Ramon Iyanuoluwa (Ondo), Anani Gift (Ondo), Kolawole Olamide (Ekiti), Akinbola Zainab (Hoop Dreams) and Faithia Hammed (Hoop Dreams) emerged ‘Top 5 Players’.

The competition featured basketball round robin play among the teams and sensitisation sessions on drug types, uses, abuses and consequences.

The organizer, Tosin Olajubu told Sporting Hope that the competition became necessary as the rate of drug abuse among teenagers in Nigeria continued to soar.