De La Salle College Colombo trounced Hindu College Jaffna, in their Group ‘D’ fixture of the U-19 Schools All Island Basketball Tournament on Sunday evening. Commencing at 4.30 pm, they beat their counterparts, 70-34 at the final whistle.
Anushka Dilan of De La Salle opened scoring with a layup from the right, after his team gained possession off the jump ball. Keerthanan scored the first points for the Jaffna boys, to even the score after a minute of play. De La Salle opted to a 1-2-2 zone defense, and it was on point throughout the first period. This did not prevent Hindu College from penetrating their fortress, as they continued to drive well at the basket. De La Salle’s led 21-13 as the first quarter drew to a close.
The second period went onto deciding the fate of the match. Things started to turn sour for Hindu College as they only managed to score one basket in the respective ten minutes. Even their defense was having a hard time staying on their feet as De La Salle maintained a mammoth 16-0 run. At halftime, the De La Salle boys had lead comfortably by 22 points.
Half Time: De La Salle College 37 – Jaffna Hindu College 15
The overall game of Hindu College improved slightly as play commenced after the ten minute interval. They took their time and seemed to attack the basket according to a certain plan. However, the brilliant skills and game sense of the De La Salle team overshadowed the somewhat inexperienced Jaffna team. DLS continues to move the ball amongst their players, while driving hard at the basket. They also excelled in their defensive maneuvers, cutting off passes and blocking any attempts to score. The deficit further increased for Jaffna Hindu College, as they trailed 56-28 at the end of the third quarter, a win seeming way out of the question.
DLS further dominated the game in the last quarter. Nimesh Kavinda, playing an excellent game, secured 20 points for them in the second half. DLS adopted a simple strategy in the last ten minutes. DLS walked away with a comfortable victory, with the scoreboard reading 70-34. They cut off their opponent’s passes early on and scored using long passes to players strategically placed under the basket. Jaffna Hindu College was indeed very promising, but their lack of experience definitely cost them, as they rubbed shoulders with many of the big names in Schools basketball in this tournament.
Full Time: De La Salle College 70 – Jaffna Hindu College 34
ThePapare.com Player of the Match : Nimesh Kavinda (De La Salle College)
