The Dialog Axiata Inter Institute Basketball tournament organized by Royal Institute Colombo was concluded yesterday (28th) in style with a thriller final for the crowds.
Achievers which had a strong line up of many star Sri Lanka schools players were taken by surprise by the brilliance of the relatively inexperienced Royal Institute players. The match ended off with a score of 49-46.
The first few minutes of the game saw both teams trying to settle down with few shots at basket not going through. Chiranga Malwatte, the skipper of the RIC team managed to open things up, scoring the first nine points of the game. Afterwards it was an equally matched quarter with Royal Institute hanging on to a meek lead.
In the second quarter Achievers displayed some lovely skills and showed what they were capable of by scoring eleven points and restricting Royal Institute to just five points. The Achievers skipper Jared Fernando, well supported by his teammates leveled the score to 18 all.
The third quarter which many would agree as the make or break quarter was equally contested between the two teams and the excitement was reaching fever pitch as it ended off with a very small gap on the score board. Praneeth Udumalagala of Achievers was a highlight in this quarter.
The final quarter which had by now turned out to be the decisive one was dominated by Royal Institute. The important fact was that they did not rely on individual brilliance but rather worked quite well as a unit, which probably was the match winning weapon against the more experienced Achievers team.
Arun Gooneratne, one of two Sri Lankan Schools players in the RIC line up peaked in this phase of the game by perfectly executing his duties as a playmaker. The big man Sudesh Paiva also proved to be the most valuable asset for the RIC team right throughout the game with his outstanding rebounds and impressive offensive play, getting in a couple of three pointers along with some much needed points.
Chiranga Malwatte was adjudged the best defensive player, while Praneeth Udumalagala, won the title of best offensive player and Sudesh Paiva walked away with the trophy for the Most Valuable Player.
