Royalists cause heartbreak for Maris Stella

Royal College Colombo 7 and Maris Stella College Negombo met for the Consolation Finals of the ThePapare.com U-19 Boys Basketball Championship 2016 last evening at the Henry Pedris Basketball Complex.

After a well contested 40 minutes of play, Royal came out on top 51-47 to secure the 2nd Runner Up position causing much disappointment for the Maris Stella lads.

Tharindu Balasuriya got things underway with a three pointer, with his team gaining possession off the jump ball. Royal was 5-0 up, when Ronal Perera converted the first points for Maris Stella off a rebound.  While capitalizing on turnovers, Royal stuck to driving on the fast break, keeping their opponents on their toes. Maris Stella proffered converting mid-range jumpers. Royal managed a healthy lead of 17-8 at the end of the first quarter making adequate use of the free throws granted.

Settling into the game, the two teams began working things out in a calmer manner. They scored off well executed plays, and paid clear attention on the defense. Maris Stella played a brilliant second quarter matching up to their opponents, displaying their good ball handling skills. Their man to man defense tightened, causing Royal College, to fall short on a couple of occasions.  Working the ball around well, the lads from Negombo narrowed the deficit. However, the Royal outfit did not lose their cool and walked out leading Maris Stella, 27-23 at lemons.

Half Time: Royal College Colombo-7  27 – Maris Stella College Negombo 23

Things went horribly wrong for Maris Stella in the third period. They lost the plot on defense, as the Royal players, left them scrambling in desperation. They rushed too much on the offense; not settling in and working the ball around as much as their coach would have liked them to. This caused many attempts to stray from the basket.  However, the Royal team was only playing an average game on defense. In the end the Royalists, made them pay for their errors. Royal scored 14 points in the quarter compared to Maris Stellas’ 6 points; ending the quarter, 45-29.

Maris Stella resorted to a full court press in an attempt to reduce Royal’s chances at the basket. The Royalists took their time to advance to the rim, running down the clock as a result. Ronal Perera and Shenuka de Alwis combined to deliver in Maris Stella’s final attempts to steal the game away from the Royalists. With Royal still leading 48-45, with 1:30 to go in the game, Maris Stella rallied around to do or die in the dying seconds of the game. Rukshan Attapattu, Tharindu Balasuriya and Dilshan Menuka kept the Royalist above par in the last minute, converting free throws and holding on throughout defense. The Royalists walked away as winners, 51-47, at the end of play, causing much heartbreak for their worthy opponents, Maris Stella.

Full Time: Royal College Colombo-7 51 – Maris Stella College Negombo 47

Speaking to the Royal Head Coach after the game. “The boys played well despite majority of the team falling ill prior to the tournament. We managed to pull off a win in spite of this, even though the players were extremely exhausted, (owing to their conditions), in the second half.”

A saddened Maris Stella Head Coach had this to say after the game. “I’m proud of the manner in which my team carried themselves. The boys played well. Unfortunately, we missed a few scoring attempts in the second half, which would have indeed made the difference for us”

Top Scorers:

The Papare.com Player of the Match – Tharindu Balasuriya