The second match of the Colombo Super League series did not bring in an easy win for the Track Masters. Though they are being considered the champions in the court, HSC Pinks gave them a tough run to the hoop full time.
The first quarter began with excellent shots at the hoop by both sides with a tie score of 4-4, two minutes into the game. Sanuri from HSC Pinks made a smart move against the strong defense and took a shot from the three point line, putting their team in the lead. The first ten minutes was a bit shaky for the Track Masters with regards to possession of the ball and defense. They had several poor attempts at the basket which gave a four point lead to HSC Pinks at the end of the first quarter. (Track Masters – 9 – HSC Pinks – 13)
Second quarter was a game changer for the Track Masters. Anjali Ekanayake and Benika Thalagala the captain of the team tipped the scores to their sides by dribbling the ball away from the Pinks and reaching the hoops. While the Track Masters were slowly adding up their scores, one of the star players from HSC Pinks, Sanuri acted upon the quick reflex to divert the possession of the ball, reach the hoop before the Track Masters could form a defense. But such moves were sufficient to out run the game of offense and defense put in to play by the Track Masters.
Half time – Track Masters 33 HSC Pinks 22
Track Masters had a strong lead against the Pinks, yet they were not ready to give up, Pinks brought in their game of defense. Kumarine and Benika moved passed the defense taking jump shots to the hoop to maintain the lead. The game became interesting when Dilumi and Sanuri put in a team play of blind passes to divert the defense and increase scores. Pinks brought the score board to a tie at the end of the third quarter with 44-44.
The last ten minutes was a pressure for both the teams to bring in their ‘A’ game. Captain of Track masters passed the ball through the hoop immediately tipping the scores in their favor. Anjali Ekanayake followed the lead of her captain to add more scores. At the same time Pinks were on the rebound to closely follow the scores. Sanuri with her smart moves brought the score board to a tie again. Niwanthi, Kumarine and Anjali from Track Masters moved passed the strong defense by the Pinks and increased the scores in their favor to win the game by a six point lead.
Full time – Track Masters – 62 HSC Pinks – 56
Track Masters’ coach Shivashakthi Selvarajah expressed that, this was not their best game as they had several injured players. Since it was just the beginning of the season, he confidently stated that we should expect great performance from team while they win this tournament.
ThePapare.com player of the match – Sanuri (HSC Pinks)
