Air Force vs Batticaloa District
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Just as the game started the Air Force team didn’t hesitate to show off their skills and take control of the game as they finished strong near the rim. Meanwhile Batticaloa seemed to be having a bad day as none of their shots were going in and they scored very few points in the first few minutes of the game. The Batticaloa man to man defence was sloppy, allowing the Air Force team to just breeze through and score, increasing the deficit. Just halfway into the game, it was looking bad for Batticaloa as their opponents were way ahead.
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Half-time: Air Force – 48 Batticaloa – 21
The beginning of the second half was no different as Batticaloa continued to struggle to score but it was only towards the end of the 2nd half that they finally got their game together and started scoring through jump shots as they were too slow to score from fast breaks. They were predominantly looking at scoring from downtown to reduce the large deficit already made but by this time it was too late and Air force took the win.
Full-time: Air Force – 76 Batticaloa – 57
Air Force vs Colombo District
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It was the Air Force team that opened up the game in this match too, taking a quick lead of 8 points in the first couple of minutes and employing a tight defence which the Colombo team struggled to get through with the few players who made it near the rim for layups being rejected. Colombo, on the other hand, opted for a man to man defence but they couldn’t keep up with the passes as the Air Force team created a bit of confusion and took open shots. Going into lemons Air Force was leading by 9 points.
Photos: 51st Senior Nationals 2017 | Level I | Day Three
Half-time: Colombo District – 21 Air Force – 30
The second half witnessed Colombo’s comeback as they reduced the deficit to a mere couple of baskets and the pressure was high on both teams to perform in the last few minutes of the game. The Air Force team was leading by just 5 points going into the final 2 minutes and they were playing a defensive game trying to protect that lead. Although Colombo gave a good fight towards the end, it wasn’t enough to take the win as Air Force protected that 5 point lead up until the end.
Full-time: Colombo District – 39 Air Force – 44
Gampaha District vs Colombo District
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Both teams had brought their defensive ‘A’ games as neither team scored for the first couple minutes. Colombo District started to take a small lead midway into the half whereas Gampaha was outmatched when it came to offence as they couldn’t get through the Colombo zone defence and even when they did, they failed to make their shots count. Going into lemons they were trailing by 16.
Half-time: Gampaha District – 13 Colombo District – 29
The second half was no different as Gampaha still struggled to score. The Gampaha team needed work on their finishing touches as they even missed the layups they could have scored through. They moved to outside the perimeter to try and score and reduce the deficit further but yet again their shots just bounced off the rim. With 3 minutes to go the Gampaha team had no chance of turning the tables as the Colombo team went on an onslaught of rejecting all their attempts of scoring whilst Colombo passed their way to the ring to take easy baskets. It was an easy win for Colombo in the end.
Full-time: Gampaha District – 32 Colombo District – 57
The coach of the winning team speaking to ThePapare had this to say about the match: “Our opponents had quite a few experienced players and to be honest we expected more of a fight and that’s why we were so well prepared to expect a much tougher game”
