The second match for the lads of Colombo International School Kandy got underway vs Lyceum International School Nugegoda this morning.
The Kandy boys led the game right from the word go but they were ambushed by their counterparts during the latter stages of the game. Yet, the visitors managed to come out on top in a thriller as the final scoreboard read 52-45.
Turning Point
Sandeep from Lyceum equalized the score at thirty seven all in the final quarter with a few more minutes to go. Hamza, who was in sublime form for the Kandyan outfit, dished out a three pointer on the break in the next possession which swapped the lead back to them (40-37).
Vishene then penetrated the defense and swished the nets with a layup and closed the deficit by two points. Both teams were going great guns as they capitalized on each other’s mistakes as Kiran came and offloaded the ball to Dinul; and he made no mistake in swishing the nets off for another two. Kandy led forty two – thirty nine.
Even though Lyceum managed to score from outside the arc Kandy CIS played well in their defensive end afterwards as they stopped their counterparts from scoring. The Kandy lads made sure that they executed the planned defense and it was what helped them to edge past the Colombo lads.
Stats don’t lie
Both teams settled into the game as they scored ten points each in the 1st quarter. Coming into the second quarter the lads from Kandy outsmarted the Colombo lads in the offense as they scored sixteen points. The Colombo lads were only able to score eight points in reply as the half time whistle was blown.
The teams were equally matched in terms of talent but the Kandy lads had the better of their counter-parts in terms of pace.
The boys from Lyceum turned the tables around as they scored a game best of seventeen points and the Kandy lads only managed eleven points in the 3rd quarter.
Even though the boys from Lyceum did have the better of CISK lads in the third quarter, the latter bounced back into the game by scoring fifteen points which changed the fate of the game in their favour. The Lyceum lads only managed to score ten points in the final quarter which gave the upper hand to the visitors.
Bottom Line
Lyceum did have the better of Kandy CIS during the third quarter and they could have tasted victory if they had managed to keep up the consistency in offense. Even after squaring the game during the final quarter all they had to do was get to the rebounds and give the players in form the second chance at the hoop.
They could have opted for three point play but with no rebounds it would be nothing but a waste of possession. In that aspect the Kandy CIS boys did handle the pressure in a perfect manner as they swished the nets from outside the arc and ran down full court lay ups making sure they put their counter-parts under pressure.
Full time – Colombo International School – Kandy – 52 Lyceum International School – Nugegoda – 45
