Greyhounds pulled off a thrilling two-point victory (57-55) over BITS (Hyderabad), while Golden Phoenixes thrashed BHEL Club 67-28 in the Level II matches of the GM Sampath Kumar Annual League Basketball Championship at the YMCA Secunderabad on Friday evening.
Greyhounds started on a positive note, scoring 16 points through Kundan, Kiriti and Sai Kamal who scored two 3-pointers. However, BITS were not far behind as Kothari scored five consecutive points to keep within touching distance of Greyhounds who led 16-13 in the opening quarter to establish an early three-point lead.
Greyhounds continued their impressive performance in the second quarter, adding another 15 points with three 3-pointers and with a tight defense restricted BITS to just seven points, all of which were scored by Patil. Greyhounds comfortably led 31-20 at half-time.
After the change of ends, BITS Hyderabad fought back strongly in the third quarter, scoring 14 points through Uppuluri and Saket combining well. BITS also tightened their defense to restrict Greyhounds to just six points and bridged the gap to 3 points (34-37) by the end of the third quarter, setting the stage for an exciting finish.
YMCA (Hyd) made to toil hard by Mahendra Hills; Young Men Guild down Stadium Club
The fourth quarter witnessed an intense battle, with both teams displaying determination and fighting spirit. BITS Hyderabad mounted a strong comeback, scoring an impressive 21 points. However, Greyhounds kept their composure under pressure, matching their opponents’ basket-for-basket with 20 points to preserve their slender advantage and seal a hard-fought 57–55 victory.
Despite BITS Hyderabad’s valiant fightback in the second half, Greyhounds’ strong first-half performance proved decisive in determining the outcome of the match. Greyhounds built a crucial first-half advantage and held off a spirited late challenge from BITS Hyderabad to emerge victorious by a narrow two-point margin.
In another match Golden Phoenixes breezed past BHEL 67-28 after leading 27-17 at half-time.
Results: Greyhounds 57 (Kiriti 22; Kamal 13; Tribhuvan 11; Kundan 8) beat BITS, Hyderabad 55 (Patil 19; Saket 8; Uppuluri 7; Guntuka 6) Half-time: 31-20.
Golden Phoenixes 67 (David 18; Khadeer 9; Bharath 8; Kanthu 8) beat BHEL Club 28 (Joseph 9; Nikhilesh 5; Sohan 4) Half-time: 27-17.
