The highly anticipated Friday matchup between Invincible Eleven and Mighty Barrolle, two of the LBA's most historic franchises, was postponed indefinitely due to inadequate lighting at the SKD Gymnasium.
But the Gymnasium came alive on Saturday as basketball enthusiasts made their way there when the Bushrod Bull secured a 74-70 overtime victory against the NPA Pythons to kick off the 2025/26 Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) first division league season.
Both teams struggled with defending throughout the game, but the Bushrod Bull managed to hold onto a narrow win over the Pythons in the season opener.
This game also marked the first appearance of David Olumilua, who shared the court with John Reed for the Bulls' initial lineup in the first quarter. Olumilua contributed his first three points to the team's 16-point first quarter effort, while the Pythons responded with 14 points, as the Bulls maintained strong performances in each quarter.
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Though Bushrod Bulls claimed the spotlight, Alston Mabande of the NPA Pythons stood out with an impressive 22 points and 7 rebounds. However, his efforts were not enough to overcome the Bulls by the end of the night.
Defensively, the Pythons faced challenges containing Bushrod Bull's offense in their season opener. Leading the Bulls was David Olumilua, who posted 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 assists. Meanwhile, Shaquille Bono scored 15 points for the Pythons.
Additional Games
In their first victory, the Spatacus defeated the Highway Kings 74-41 at SKD Gymnasium on Sunday evening. The newly promoted team proved too strong for the Highway Kings.
The game began with Highway Kings knocking down a 3-pointer within the first 10 seconds. However, this early success was overshadowed as Spatacus responded by making 8 out of 26 attempts from beyond the arc. Ferdinand Lokko led the charge for Spatacus, delivering an impressive 22 points and establishing himself as the key player for the newly promoted squad. He ended the match with 22 points, no assists, and one rebound, shooting 7 of 12 overall and 4 of 9 from three-point range.
Format and structure of the 2025 Liberia Basketball League's
FEMALE DIVISION (7 Teams) - Teams will play 11 games each. Four teams will advance to the next round known as the Round Ribbon, with the top two going on to compete in the finals.
FIRST DIVISION (10 Teams) - Each team plays 18 games, facing opponents both home and away. Six teams will qualify for the Round Ribbon, four will advance to the Big Four playoffs, and finally, two teams will battle in the championship finals.
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SECOND DIVISION (18 Teams) - Teams play 17 games each, all single encounters. The top ten teams progress to the next phase, where they will be split into two groups of five. From each group, three teams will qualify for the Super Six playoffs.
