St..Peter’s College scraped through to a win over Gateway College in their Group ‘D’ fixture of the Schools All Island U-19 Basketball Tournament. Commencing at 3.00 pm last evening at the St. Peter’s College Basketball Courts, Bambalapitiya, after a nail biting match the home team sealed the game with a one point difference over their counterparts, 54-53.
The Peterite skipper got things underway with a three pointer after his team gained possession off the jump ball. Nichula Liyanage of Gateway College delivered a prompt reply from the arc, on the next play, showing that his team certainly meant business. The lads from Rajagiriya put their opponents under pressure early on, guarding them well and forcing them to make errors. As a result , the offensive game of the Peterites was not working out for them, and many of their drives to the basket were cut off. Gateway led 07-15, as the first quarter drew to a close.
As the second quarter progressed, Gateway College continued their stellar defense. The home team was still shaky on their offense, missing quite a number of scoring opportunities. However, St. Peter’s managed to get back into the game by strengthening their man to man defense at the three point line and also scoring off second chances.
Half Time: St.Peter’s College – 20 Gateway College – 27
Rejuvenated after the ten minute interval, St.Peter’s resorted to make much needed amends to their game. Guarding their opponents well in their own half and forcing turnovers, they worked the ball amongst their five, taking their time before attempting to score. Halfway into the third period, the Peterites trailed by just a basket; the scoreboard reading 31 33. The energetic Pasan Liyanage ran the plays for Gateway, making his presence felt in all aspects of the game. Nichula continued to keep the scoreboard ticking, scoring 11 points in the quarter, ending it with a long range shot to beat the buzzer, holding the crowd in awe. Gateway still led 35-43 at the end of the third period.
The fate of the game hung in the last six hundred seconds as did the question ‘who will lead the group’.The Peterites played with all the grit they could muster to defend their dignity on their home court. Defending at the half court line, they managed to cut off their opponents passes and block their shots. Both teams were at it neck and neck ,trying their utmost to avoid making silly errors.
The Gateway players seemed to maintain their composure, although the Peterites were closing in on the deficit. One can question as to whether they became too comfortable as the Peterites finally broke through the hoodoo managing to lead, 54-53,for the first time that evening, with two minutes left in the game. It was a tussle all over the court, with all the players scrambling for the ball as the clock wound down. With eleven seconds left, Gateway failed on their last attempt at the basket, while the Peterites dribbled the ball away until the last whistle was blown, emerging victorious with that single point. It was quite evident that technical difficulties with regard to the game clocks led to major confusion between the players specially last quarter.
Full Time: St.Peter’s College – 54 Gateway College – 53
ThePapare.com Player of the match – Akshitha Madhushan (St.Peter’s College)
