St. Benedict’s College, emerged victorious over Gateway College Colombo at the St. Joseph’s College Basketball Court in the ThePapare Basketball Championship fixture.
The Bens came back from behind to win the game in double overtime, outscoring their counterparts, 64-62, to claim their first win in the tournament.
Photo Album – ThePapare Basketball Championship 2016 – Group C | 08.07.2016
The first half was rather unsettling as both schools lacked finesse in their execution. There were many unforced errors committed and sheepish attempts made at the basket by both teams. Gateway appeared to capitalize on turnovers and scoring off the fast break whilst St. Benedict’s seemed to drive well at the basket. In terms of defence, the lads from Kotahena stuck to a strict 1-2-2 formation, while Gateway’s defence was all over the place. However, capitalizing on the Bens’ mistakes, Gateway led 18-22 at the half-time whistle.
Rejuvenated after the interval, Gateway continued to attack in the second half, capitalizing on turnovers. They led by 10 points with 05 to go up in the third quarter. In response, St. Benedict’s switched to a full court trap defence, in order to narrow the deficit.
This worked in favour of them, as they managed to cut of Gateway’s play in their own half and convert more baskets. At the end of the third period, Gateway still led 32-35. The crowd witnessed a toe-to-toe final quarter, with both teams playing a tight defence. Gateway College stood in a comfortable position to seal the win as Chevaan de Zoysa stood at the free throw line as play drew to a close, with the score tied 44-44. However, he was unable to convert both free throws, which led the game into overtime. The fate of the game was still up for grabs.
Transitioning into overtime, the two schools did not seem to budge an inch, scoring at both ends. However, Gateway’s poor free throw conversion rate stood out during this period. The Bens, continuing to play good defence held their end of the bargain remarkably well. Scores were tied, 53-53, at the end of the first overtime period.
In the second overtime period, Gateway managed to secure a quick two-basket lead. They could not hold onto it all though, as Bens came back, sinking jumpers as opposed to driving through their tight defence. St. Benedict’s managed to turn the tables and lead 64-62, with 45 seconds to go in the period. They held on well, draining the game clock, to secure the win 64-62.
Both teams will definitely have to go back to the drawing board before their next fixture. Gateway will have to work on moving the ball around more, strategic defence and free throw conversion, whilst St. Benedict’s need to drastically improve on offense and rebounds. Dinuka Gamage scored 18 for the Bens, while Hirun Ekanayake led Gateway’s scoring with 25 points.
Full Time: St. Benedict’s College 64 – Gateway College 62
