Avant A Scores the victory basket against HSC Blacks in the final ‘3 seconds’ of the game.
With each team being represented by an International player the spectators were expecting much more intensity from Avant A and HSC Blacks game. They were not let down; as expected soon after the first basket with the arrival of the Nigerian player, Christopher Imotskiese the first dunk of the game took place. Airborne, grabbing on to the ball which bounced off the ring from a failed attempt, Christopher dropped the ball into the basket and hung on to the ring for a couple of seconds. It was brief but a strong showdown. The reply HSC Blacks had was Evaldas Tvirage. Almost reaching the ring, he was steady with the rebound as well as with crucial taps. Knowing the strong arm, Filip representing Avant A was smart enough to go for a three pointer. In reply Kanishaka Sulakshan was also able to shoot in a three pointer. This was after a steady chase from the line out with a few minutes to end the first quarter. His steady throw took all the players by surprise. However the boost Avant A got from Christopher and Filip kept them leading the first quarter by 6 points. (HSC Blacks – 11: Avant A – 17)
Avant A had an advantage over the game with two International players; which they were utilizing properly. The first to walk in the second quarter was Filip. On to the HSCs, as the only player Evaldas was able to score two baskets in the second quarter while Filip was not able to score any. This turned out as a great disadvantage for Avant A. HSC Blacks recovered most of the game in the second quarter by scoring 16 points in reply to the 9 by Avant A. Even just before the half time HSC scored a final basket leading the game for the first time. (HSC Blacks – 27: Avant A – 26)
The game continued to be equally forceful after the half time. Avant A and HSC Blacks were at a tie throughout the third quarter. The only advantage Avant A had was the less number of fouls given in this time period. However, Kanishka continued to score three pointers for HSC. Lakshan Samarasinghe was the leading scorer for Avant A in this quarter. Quickly passing on with less time out the third quarter came to an end with Avant A back on the lead. (HSC Blacks – 40: Avant A – 41)
Everyone knew the last quarter mattered the most. With just a difference of one point by the end of the third quarter, both teams had proven themselves to be equally strong. The victory was just a matter of who will be the fastest to score. As the players were pushing hard to prevent scoring, the free throw penalty count arose. Over 15 technical fouls were reported in the last quarter itself by the two teams. Filip was on fire collecting the additional points through these fouls.
Yet as the game closed in with 1 minute remaining, the scores read 51 to 50 in favor of Avant. The clock was ticking and Avant was trying to hold on to the ball till the last few seconds; however, a strong tap and Terrance from HSC Blacks was able to score a basket with 10 seconds on the clock. A coach time out was given for Avant A, but the whole team gave up hope knowing the difficulty in scoring a basket in 10 seconds. Walking back with hardly any plan, Filip of Avant A was able to take on the ball with 8 seconds on the clock. With a twist and a backward spin his throw brought the most crucial basket of the game for Avant A. Within 7 seconds he was able to score the winning basket of the game, making it impossible for HSC Blacks to score anymore. (HSC Blacks – 52: Avant A – 53)
