Imo State Basketball team on Saturday defeated their counterpart from Enugu 43-42 to win the maiden edition of the South East Basketball tournament in Enugu.

Team Imo reached the final by beating Abia 35-33 while Enugu overpowered their Anambra counterpart 33-26.

Speaking after the match, Joseph Ogbonna, the Imo captain, said his players were excited to win the madien edition of the South East Basketball Tournament.

Ogbonna said the tournament is a stepping stone for many of them and believed that the players will go a long way.

He appealed to the federal government to save Nigerian basketballers from the embarrassment caused by their suspension from international competitions for two years.

“Nobody is happy about the suspension of Basketball from international competition at the time the game is fast growing,” he said.

Also speaking, the Secretary, South East Basketball Association, Osondu Ngwude, said that they have decided to host the tournament in different states of the zone.

He noted that Abia may host the next edition of the tournament, saying this could be more organised than the just-concluded edition.

(NAN)