The final of the Boys’ U17 All Island ‘B’ Division Basketball Championship, was played at the Gateway College, outdoor basketball complex. Kingswood College – Kandy (KCK) took on Gateway College (GCC) in the finals. GCC emerged victorious at full time, 91-46.
Even though Hasitha Samarasinghe (12) of KCK managed to draw first blood, GCC`s offense dominated the maiden quarter of the game. Sharo Perera (32) played magical minutes of basketball to put the home team ahead by 15 points closing the first ten minutes, 32-17.
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KCK in the second quarter did tighten their defense but stopping GCC needed a miracle. KCK only managed to add 7 points in the quarter. Ruvindu Rankothge (30) of KCK showed dominance in defense but the Colombo lads were still leading at lemons, 49-24.
GCC continued the same momentum after half time. It was the fast-paced game of GCC that put the hill-country lads in the back seat. Iflal Iqbal (8), with his dashing speed, pierced the KCK defense, securing a comfortable lead for GCC. KCK was nearly out of it, closing the penultimate quarter, 68 – 37.
Click here to read how Kingswood College qualified to the finals
Throughout the match, KCK was unable to get a hold of the rebounds, while GCC grabbed the second chances and converted them into valuable points at the rim. Sharo Perera (32) and Iflal Iqbal (8) of GCC stood-out from the rest in carrying the team to the winning line. At the final whistle, scores read, 91-46.
Click here to read how Gateway College qualified to the finals
The Head Coach of GCC Tharindu Fernando speaking to ThePapare.com said “We played a very strong, fast and intense game, we mainly focused on the offence and got the maximum use of the home court advantage. This team should be playing in ‘A’ Division but due to some miscommunication we were demoted to ‘B’ division, but we played and proved that we are able and qualified to play and win the ‘A’ Division championship.”
The Head Coach of KCK Buddhin Amarasinghe, speaking to ThePapare.com said, “Gateway team is a very strong team, it should be playing in ‘A’ division, performing this good against a such a strong team was not easy. I’m very happy and proud of the Kingswood team, we were the only team that scored more than 30 points against Gateway, showing a clear sign of improvement.”
Special Awards:
- Most Valuable Player – Sharo Perera (Gateway College – Colombo)
- Best Defensive Player – Ruvindu Rankothge (Kingswood College – Colombo)
- Best Offensive Player – Iflal Iqbal (Gateway College – Colombo)
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