Lekki Braves head coach Johannes has credited his team’s experience and mental strength for their narrow 22–19 victory over the Lagos Alphas on Matchday 8 of the Showtime Series XIII held on Sunday at the Showtime Arena, Lekki.
The tightly contested matchup saw the Braves overcome a slow start to claim their third straight win, strengthening their chances of reaching the season-ending playoffs, while the Alphas’ struggles continued despite another spirited performance.
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The game began with both sides showing strong defensive discipline, but the Braves appeared sluggish in the early stages.
The Alphas capitalized on that momentum, pushing the Braves to the limit before halftime.
After the break, however, the Lekki side regrouped and showed greater composure, tightening up both offense and defense to edge out the resilient Alphas by just three points.
Speaking after the match, Coach Johannes praised his players for their determination and highlighted the team’s ability to adapt under pressure.
“Today was a tough win. The Alphas are a very stubborn team. We lost to them last week, and we were determined to win this one,” he said.
“We started slow — both in defense and offense and there were some early misunderstandings. But at halftime, we reminded the players of what they already knew, and they came out stronger.”
Johannes emphasized that the win was not about exploiting weaknesses but about relying on the Braves’ experience and composure in crucial moments.
“It wasn’t really about exploiting a weakness in the opponent,” he explained. “The Alphas are a relatively new team, only in their second season, so I can say their inexperience cost them the game.
Our players simply knew a bit more and were mentally stronger today. The Alphas will get better with time”, he said.
With this victory, Lekki Braves maintain their fine form and solidify their reputation as one of the top contenders in this season’s Showtime Series XIII as the race for the playoff spots intensifies.
Meanwhile, Lagos Alphas will look to regroup and hope to snap the winless streak as the regular season hits the home stretch
