The second day of the Inter-International Basketball Championship 2017 continued at the British School in Colombo, Indoor Basketball Courts last evening. Gateway College, Colombo excelled in both the girls’ and boys’ categories on day two.
Boys: Royal Institute (RIC) vs Gateway College Colombo (GCC)
It was only in the final few minutes that GCC sealed their win, creating a substantial deficit with the final scores being 74-49. Theveen from RIC top scored with 19 points while Mirtesh top scored with 30 points for GCC.
RIC had control of the game up until half time with a slight edge of three points, 25-22. Unfortunately, they lost the plot in the second half as GCC settled in and outscored them in the final two quarters. Both teams fought hard for every possession as every rebound opportunity was a tough fight. Towards the latter part of the game, GCC passed the ball around the perimeter until an open player could drive in. This offensive strategy was followed up with a full court press at the right time to keep the RIC scoring to a minimum while GCC capitalized on the fast break opportunities.
Full-time: Royal Institute- 49 Gateway College- 74
Girls’: Colombo International School (CIS) vs Gateway College Colombo (GCC)
The girls’ match for the day went in favor of GCC with a final score of 42 to 33 points. The highest point scorer for GCC was skipper Kiara Ekanayake, securing 15 points while Leia Hamza did the majority of the scoring for CIS, getting 20 points.
CIS took control of the game from the tip-off but GCC turned the tables during the second half, settling into the game and getting successive layups. Although CIS lead into half-time their inability to score more than 2 points during the 3rd quarter came back to haunt them later. GCC opted for a man-to-man defense which CIS failed to break through. Despite this, CIS managed to catch up slightly during the final 10 minutes, outscoring GCC by 3 points, yet the early lead helped GCC secure the win.
Full-time: Gateway College – 42 Colombo International School- 33
Boys: Colombo International School (CIS) vs Lyceum International School – Wattala (LISW)
The final match of the day was a one-sided affair for as LISW annihilated CIS to take their first victory with a final score of 45-85. Shivanga De Silva from CIS was the key offensive player for his team contributing 28 points while Rashan Perera was the highest scorer for LISW with 21 points.
Both teams comprised of experienced national players yet the CIS offense failed to make use of all the players on the court. The LISW players ran a very tight defense which the lads from CIS struggled to get through. Coupled with this, LISW dominated the post, securing all rebounds allowing them to take a substantial lead. CIS switched to a full court press towards the latter part of the game to try and reduce the deficit but it was of no use as LISW won the game by 40 points.
Full-time: Colombo International School- 45 Lyceum International School Wattala- 85
