The YMCA Secunderabad basketball courts came alive with Freestyle Ballers and 125 INF Battalion dishing out an absolute thriller in the GM Sampath Kumar Annual League Basketball Championship 2026-27 on Friday evening. Freestyle edged 125 INF Battalion 69-66.
In a no-holds barred contest, both sides went for throat from the first minute itself but Freestyle Ballers managed to take a handy lead by half-time.
However, the army hoopsters turned things on their head in the second half and gave their rivals a run for their money. In the end, Freestyle Ballers just about managed to keep their heads over the surging waters to walk away with the match.
Freestyle Ballers started well with Sanjay and Lakshay playing in tandem to score 15 points, while 125 INF Battalion were not far behind. Nagendra and Akram scored through fast breaks and garnered 10 points. However, Freestyle Ballers led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter.
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In the second quarter, Freestyle Ballers tightened their defense and that paid rich dividends as the army outfit found it difficult to score. They were able to get just 5 points, while Freestyle Ballers scored 15 points, including 3 shots outside the arc, to garner 5 points and go into the break comfortably placed at 30-15.
After change of ends, 125 INF Battalion started their fightback by playing a fast-paced game. They went for broke and scored 21 points through Cliffton and Nagendra. They also managed to restricte Freestyle Ballers to just 16 points to reduce the deficit to 10 points. At the end of the third quarter, the score read 46-36 in favour of Freestyle Ballers.
In the last quarter, 125 INF Battalion made a last-ditch effort to overcome Freestyle Ballers. Their hoopsters scored as many as six 3-pointers with Durga Prasad and Narender to the fore. They managed to reduce the gap to just 5 points, but Freestyle Ballers kept chipping in with baskets at regular intervals through Abhiram and Kinchuk to finally win the match 69-66.
Result: Freestyle Ballers 69 (Lakshay 17, Sanjay 13, Kinshuk 9) beat 125 INF Batallion 66 (Nagendra 23, Clifton 17) Half Time: 30-15.
