HSC Blues played their second game in the Colombo Basketball League 2015 and remain unbeaten when they beat Police BC strategically and elegantly scoring 77-62 points at full time.
The match commenced at sharp half past six with the traditional jump ball start. HSC Blues won the first tap of the ball and drew first blood when Timothy Nithushan laid the ball off an assist from Niranga Wickeramartene. Police BC took revenge squaring the game right after in the next possession. Home lads opted for a man to man defense during the maiden quarter of the game which was equally matched up with good offense form the Police SC. Rebounds did come handy for the HSC lads as Sidath Sennnayake and Mithila Abeysekera was doing a top-notch job. But on the offensive aspect of the rebounds Police BC was on top. The relationship between the offense and the home team was just a scrappy affair. They did not connect the shots due to bad passes all around and it helped the opponents to lead the game by four points at the end of the first quarter.
Police BC with the intention of securing the lead built upon it opting for sagging-man to man defense which they did not do right as expected. Timothy Nitushan squared the game 19-19 within two minutes of the second quarter. Transition from offense to defense was slow from the Police BC perspective and hence the home team gained the chance to score through fast break which swapped the fate of the game. The rebound was passed straight on to Timothy Nitushan who made no mistake in converting them into points at the other end. As Blues started leading the game, Police BC seemed to lose track of the momentum and hence they failed to execute their game plan in offense. The game was called for a ten minute break as the home team led the game by six points.
Half time – Police Basketball Club – 25 HSC Blues – 31
HSC started off the quarter with a full court defense strategy. Police did drive through the defense and close down the deficit but their defense seemed to be in no good shape. Both the teams played a fast game in the third quarter when compared to the first half. Even though the defense was out of order for the visitors they did quite well in their offense. Running the ball down the post they created play after play as they closed down the deficit into a reasonable amount. One of the most significant factors of the game was both the teams caused a fair amount of violations and missed out some good scoring opportunities. Both scored nineteen points each during the quarter but the home team led the game forty nine to forty four at the end of the third.
The final ten minutes of the game was on one of those give it all and take the game home times. HSC Blues sticking to the word go from the start defended their territory well. They strategically closed down the lanes for the offensive players to drive rather than just sticking with the opponent. Police BC`s plan on overcoming the defense was a bit dimmed and it did result in poor offense. Even though the defensive rebounds came in handy for the Police BC, they failed to capitalize on it and convert them into points at the other end. HSC who changed the fate of the game during the second quarter managed to hold up onto it until the end!
Full time – Police Basketball Club – 62 HSC Blues – 77
ThePapare.com player of the match – Timothy Nithushan (HSC Blues)
