The first match of Group B in the All Island U19 Girls’ A division ThePapare Basketball Championship was worked off today at the Good Shepherd Convent basketball courts.
The hosts had a narrow escape against opponents Lyceum International School Wattala as they clinched victory by two points 42-40.
The match commenced at ten past four with the traditional jump ball start. Even though Lubna Morseth tapped the ball it was the hosts who had the maiden possession. GSC drew first blood as a mid-range jumper swished the nets. The home team got on to a comfortable start as they managed to lead the game 5-0 for more than a couple of minutes. Pawani Ranepura finally came through for LISW as she had a shooting foul.
Failing to add the extra points they settled for a 5-2 scoreline. GSC opted for a man-to-man defense strategy in the maiden quarter while their opponents played a zone defense. Rebounds were a tough ask for both teams as neither of the players showed eagerness in catching the ball off the board. Even though GSC got onto a good start, they lost momentum during the latter part of the first quarter. Switching between defenses, they opted for a full-court press in the final minute as Thishakya Perera and Shereen Perera scored two quick baskets after turnovers just before the whistle blew.
Photo Album – Good Shepherd Convent v Lyceum International School – Wattala
First quarter: Good Shepherd Convent – 09 Lyceum International School – Wattala – 04
GSC started off the second quarter with a shot from downtown and continued the momentum. The defense tightened its screws and the turnovers were converted into scoring
opportunities on the other side. It was evident that both teams did not really settle into the game properly. Rebounds continued to be a misery for the LISW girls and it was the reason they couldn’t find touch during the first few minutes of the second quarter. However, capitalizing on the defensive errors made by the hosts, LISW found inroads and down the deficit.
Half time: Good Shepherd Convent – 20 Lyceum International School – 15
After a ten-minute break and a five-point lead, Nirma Sasanthi started off the second phase swishing one out of two free throws. LISW, sticking to the basics got back into game capitalizing on the simple errors of no rebounding and the bad passing of the home team. Even though the hosts scored ten points for the quarter, the girls from Wattala outscored them with thirteen points.
Third Quarter: Good Shepherd Convent – 33 Lyceum International School – 25
The final six hundred seconds of the game were started off by LISW with two quick possessions as they trailed by just a point. Losing the plot in the third quarter GSC never showed signs of settling their nerves at the start. LISW was just unlucky as none of their shots swished the nets when they trailed the game by a point. Nirma Sasanthi scored twice
within a two-minute range which increased the lead up to four points for GSC. Yet, Haseena Abdul and Mihansa De Alwis scoring at regular intervals squared the game at 38 all with a two minutes` on the clock.
Diminishing the hopes of the LISW girls Nirma Sasanthi scored twice under the basket with a post move and upped the score to 42-40 in the final minute of play. She scored seventeen points in the match and was the reason for GSC’s happy ending.
Full time: Good Shepherd Convent – 42 Lyceum International School – 40
Good Shepherd Convent Coach Susil Udukubura speaking to ThePapare.com said “Happy that we won the game but not satisfied with the performance. There are a lot of mistakes in every department which will need look into going forward in the tournament, all in all, it was a satisfactory first game”.
ThePapare.com player of the match – Nirma Sasanthi (Good Shepherd Convent)
Top Points Scorers of the Match:
Nirma Sasanthi (Good Shepherd Convent) – 17 Points
Lubna Morseth (Lyceum International School) – 12 Points
