“Training, training, training”: Owolabi reveals sacrifice behind MFM championship undefeated streak

MFM Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Ochuko Owolabi, attributes the relentless training, discipline and commitment of her players to the club’s remarkable undefeated march to the 2026 NBBF/Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League title.

MFM completed a flawless domestic campaign by defeating nine-time champions First Bank 66-64 in a dramatic overtime final at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, sealing their third league championship in four years.

For Owolabi, the win was the reward for months of demanding preparation and not simply what happened during the Final Eight.

“Training, training, training. We train practically every day. We don’t wait for a tournament to train,” Owolabi said as he explained the basis behind his team’s consistency.

The manager revealed that finishing the season unbeaten had been a deliberate goal.

“Being undefeated, that was my first plan. Definitely, if we go undefeated, we will win the trophy. So that was our main goal,” he said. “I’m very happy and very proud of these girls. They played; I just talked.”

That undefeated record faced its biggest threat in the finals. MFM led 43-35 after three quarters before First Bank fought back to force overtime at 56-56. With the score set at 64-64 and five seconds remaining, Regina Iornumbe scored the decisive shot against her former club to deliver the championship.

Owolabi said giving up was never an option, even when First Bank threatened to complete the recovery.

“There was never a time where I felt like we were going to lose because the game was still going,” he said. “I kept telling the players, ‘It’s not over until it’s over.’”

The victory returned MFM to the top after losing their title in 2025 and gave Owolabi a third championship as head coach, having masterminded the club’s successes in 2023 and 2024.

For MFM, the trophy completed an undefeated season. For Owolabi, he claimed a simpler championship formula: train tirelessly, demand sacrifice and continue believing until the final whistle.