Ogun State continued their impressive run in the ball games at the ongoing 2024 National Sports Festival, securing spots in six different finals following a dominant display across multiple sports on Monday.
Already through to the men’s football final against Kwara State, scheduled for Tuesday at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex, Team Ogun extended their dominance by reaching the finals in both the men’s and women’s categories of basketball, volleyball, and handball.
In a thrilling women’s basketball semi-final encounter, Team Ogun edged Lagos 45-44 in a game that went down to the wire. Lagos led for the majority of the match, but Ogun’s Monisola Tewogbade stole the show in the final seconds with a clutch three-pointer to seal the win and a place in the final. They will face Bayelsa State, who cruised past Ondo State 62-28.
The men’s team also secured their final berth, overcoming Adamawa 71-66 in another closely contested semi-final. Ogun’s women’s volleyball team continued their unbeaten run with a dominant 3-0 win (25-8, 25-23, 25-19) over Kogi State in the semi-final. They are set for a rematch against Rivers State in the final—a team they had narrowly beaten in the group stage. Rivers also progressed with a 3-0 win against Oyo State (25-11, 25-21, 27-25).
In the men’s category, Ogun defeated Bayelsa 3-1 (25-16, 16-25, 25-16, 25-17) to reach the final, where they will meet Plateau State. Plateau staged a comeback to beat Ondo State in the other semi-final.
Ogun’s women’s handball team came from a 10-10 first-half stalemate to beat Kogi 24-19, earning a final showdown against Sokoto, who defeated Edo State 32-25. In the men’s handball semi-final, Ogun triumphed over the FCT 29-25 to set up a title clash with Lagos.
With their strong performances across these events, Team Ogun is poised to boost their medal haul and further assert their dominance as the 2024 National Sports Festival progresses.
