Local sports
Nizam toy with CCOB, YMCA Secunderabad and Keystone turn on the heat in Sam tourney
Even as the winter in Hyderabad wanes out this week, the action is getting hotter at the 6th Samuel Vasanth Kumar Memorial Basketball Tournament. Nizam Basketball Academy turned on the heater with a sparkling 97-61 victory over City College Old Boys (CCOB) on the second day of action at the YMCA Secunderabad on Wednesday evening.
In Tuesday’s late-night matches, last year’s runners-up YMCA Secunderabad blazed away under the lights to a 90-43 victory over the hapless SS Basketball Academy and strong contenders Keystone Basketball Academy kept the fire going with a 110-67 victory over Young Men’s Guild (YMG).
The shooting skills of Nizam Basketball Academy hoopsters was what separated both the sides. CCOB were unable to match the Nizam hoopsters in this area and fell apart as they were unable to either score as rapidly as their rivals or were they able to stop the marauding rival hoopsters.
Nizam scored as many as 12 3-pointers to outclass their rivals after leading 49-27 at half-time.
Nizam Basketball Academy boys started with a 3-pointer through Majid and that set the tone of the evening. They went on to score as many as four 3-pointers in their first quarter score of 26. CCOB, on the other hand, tried to make use of the height of Manideep and score from the paint. They were successful to an extent only. At the end of the first quarter, Nizam led 26-17.
Not much changed in the pattern of play in the second half as Nizam continued with their rampage. They scored 23 points and restricted their rivals to only 10 points. They went into the break with a comfortable 22-point margin as they led 49-27.
After the change of ends, Nizam continued with their domination as the CCOB hoopsters tried in vain to script a comeback. Nizam scored 48 in this period, just one point lesser than the first half. On the other hand, CCOB 34 points as they made a valiant bid to save the game. However, the Nizam boys tightened up their defence. In the end, Nizam Basketball Association recorded a comfortable 97-61 victory.
Saleem of CCOB scores from an offensive rebound against Nizam Basketball Academy on day 2 of the 6th Samuel Vasanth Kumar Memorial Basketball Tournament at YMCA Secunderabad on Wednesday. Nizam scored a resounding 97-61 victory: Pics: Mohd Hadi
On Tuesday, YMCA Secunderabad made a brisk start to their campaign. SS Basketball Academy hoopsters had no clue how to stop their rivals as YMCA boys scored at will. Samuel Galli and Rohan combined to score seven 3-pointers between them as YMCA took a massive 35-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw SSBA make a comeback of sorts as they scored 18 points thanks to the efforts of Karthik and Jaswanth. However, YMCA were not to be denied their share of baskets as they scored 25 points to lead 60-24 at the break.
In the second half, YMCA tested their bench strength so that the players could be ready for the tougher games ahead. Despite a slowdown in the scoring during this period, YMCA boys were still too good for their rivals. They scored 30 points while SSBA managed only 19. YMCA cruised home 90-43 to get their campaign rolling.
In the final game on Tuesday night, Keystone Basketball Academy proved a handful for their rivals Young Men Guild. Keystone boys, led by Vishwak, went on a rampage and scored a will. There was hardly anything that YMG hoopsters could do to contain their rivals. By half-time, Keystone had run up a huge 58-27 score.
Things were not much different after the break as Keystone added 52 more points to their tally, while YMG much better than in the first half. They scored 40 points, but it was too little and late to change their fortunes. Keystone romped to a 110-67 victory.
The tournament is being conducted by Sports Writers Association of Telangana (SWAT) under the technical guidance of The Hyderabad District Basketball Association.
Results: Nizam Basketball Academy 97 (Majid 33, Aravind 27, Abhiram 11, Kaushik 9) beat City College Old Boys 61 (Manideep 21, Daniyal 18). Half-time: 49-27.
Tuesday matches: YMCA Secunderabad 90 (Rakesh 19, Krishna 15, Samuel Galli 15, Allen 13, Rohan 11, Rehan 11) beat SS Basketball Academy 43 (Karthik 16, Jaswanth 19). Half-time: 60-24.
Keystone Basketball Academy 110 (Vishwak 33, Chandra 22, Aryan 9, Krishay 14) beat Young Men Guild 67 (Shahrukh 27, Garvit 20, Ankit 12, Abhishek 8). Half-time: 58-27.