The finals of the Boy’s Under 17 All Island Schools ‘B’ Division Basketball Championship took place at Kurunegala with Maliyadeva College hosting the event.
Maliyadeva College walked away with a 76 points to 51 victory after the conclusion of the 4 quarters of the game defeating Angel International School. At lemons it was 40 – 20 in favor of the hosts. Preceding the finals the consolation finals kicked off between Zahira College and St.Anthony’s Wattala. In a tighter battle than the finals the game took several turns and changes of lead eventually ending in favor of Zahira College 71 points to 62.
As usual the final game started off with both schools trading off shots at both ends, however Maliyadeva got the better of the early exchanges getting shots on target as they quickly drifted into a 9-point lead. Marred by unforced errors, loose passes, travelling violations and lethargic defending from Angel, Maliyadeva took an important 40-20 lead at half time.
The second half turned out to be more competitive than the first. Angel International surprisingly pressured the home team eventually winning the third quarter 13-19 cutting back the deficit, leaving Maliyadeva with a bit of decision making to do. Maliyadeva replied back strong in the 4th and final quarter as they finished the game 71 points to 51 winning the 4th quarter 23 points to 12.
In the consolation final between Zahira College and St.Anthony’s Wattala, the game started off as a tight contest as both teams wanted to give their supporters something to cheer about. And the tense atmosphere was maintained by both teams with Zahira edging over the Antonians in a game where the two teams won two quarters each.
