The finals of the 33rd Mercantile Services Basketball Tournament (MSBA – Division “C’ and Division “D”), the biggest league competition in Sri Lanka which is organised for the cager sport, were held yesterday at the Royal College Indoor Sports Complex. After some thrilling basketball actions, IFS and MAS outfits were crowned as the champions in Division “C” and “D”, respectively.
The final of Division “C” Segment
The much-awaited game of the day saw the defending champions IFS battle against the spirited newcomers from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) outfit. After a minute in the game, the star striker of LSEG, Menudi Pathirana, nailed a straightforward 3-pointer to open the scoring. Later, her counterpart from IFS, Gagani De Silva, replied with a couple of baskets to gain the lead. Throughout the first quarter, Gagani and Buddhika were exceptional, and the duo gave a four-point lead after a hard-fought 1st quarter. (1Q IFS 11 – 07 LSEG)
LSEG started the scoring in the 2nd quarter and managed to cut the deficit courtesy of Dasuni’s brilliant two-pointer. Later, LSEG was penalised for a foul in the red zone, but no damage was done as IFS was off target at the free throws. But Gagani recovered well after their initial mistake by putting in another couple of baskets to extend the lead. Despite the resistance displayed by the opponents, Gagani nailed another hat trick of baskets at the end of the quarter to put her side in the driving seat of the encounter. (2Q IFS 27 – 14 LSEG)
The initial phase of the 3rd quarter went without scoring until Dilsha put in an easy basket to open the scoring. Later, Dasuni made two out of two free throws for LSEG, which was a rarity of the day, and she nailed another basket later to give some hope to her side. The latter part of the 3rd quarter belonged to the heroics of Dasuni and Menudi as LSEG executed a breakthrough comeback to cut the deficit from 13 to just four points. (3Q IFS 27 – 14 LSEG)
In the 4th quarter, Sanara of LSEG started the scoring with a well-executed attack, and Dasuni made the equaliser by bringing spectators to the edge of their seats. Then Gagani restored the lead for IFS with a couple of baskets and a three-pointer, though she played with a leg injury. Later in the quarter, the Gagani-led attack of IFS displayed their excellence at the right time, and the newcomers from LSEG were astonished by the final performance of their opposition. At the long whistle, IFS managed to defend the coveted title for yet another year with a 12-point hard-fought but excellent victory.
Full Time: IFS 52 – 40 LSEG
Throughout the encounter the brilliant all-round performance of Gagani Silva (IFS) was highlighted, though LSEG fought well with some grit from their captain Dasuni Premaratne and their top scorer Menudi Pathirana. After scoring 26 points in the final and with 78 points in the tournament, the brilliant Under Armour player Gagani Silva (IFS) was adjudged the most valuable player for the Ranil Ganewatte Memorial Trophy.
Division “C” Champions – IFS team
Gagani Silva (Captain), Buddhika Kulasooriya, Thanusha Krishani, Priyushanthi Sewwandi, Malithi Pathirana, Tharuka Madirawala, Dilsha Paramodi, Aseka Warnakulasooriya, Harini Jayathilake, Irandi Anushika, Pramodha Jayasekara, Pramali Perera
- Saman Dhanawansha (Head Coach), Madhuranga Munasinghe (Assistant Coach)
Division “C” runners-up – LSEG
Sanara Premarathne (Captain), Shareena Zubair, Dasuni Liyanage, Menudhi Pathirana, Menaka Udawatta, Michelle Oorloff, Hansara Hettiarachchi, Shenali Fernando, Pavani Weerasekara,
- Dhananjaya Ekanayake (Head Coach), Steve Stanley (Assistant Coach)
IFS captain Gagani Silva and LSEG captain Sanara Premaratne receiving their trophies
The most valuable player of the tournament Division “C” : Gagani Silva (IFS)
The final of Division “D” Segment
After some thrilling basketball actions, MAS Holdings convincingly defeated the WSO2 group (42 – 18), and Hayleys Group just managed to edge out Johnkeels Group (54 – 50) to take their places in the final of Division “D”. After some failures at free throws, Malsha opened the scoring for Hayleys with a dazzling three-pointer. Later, Ann Wikramasinghe (Hayleys) put in an accurate basket to extend the lead. Then, the star player Mihiri opened the scoring for MAS with an easy basket, and it was followed by a couple of excellent three-pointers. Since then, MAS ladies never looked back and finished the 1st quarter at a high with some extravagant performances. (1Q MAS 19-07 Hayleys)
With some magnificent passes and brilliant teamwork, MAS opened the scoring, and within a short period, Hayleys replied with the courtesy of Amanda. When halftime arrived, the MAS outfit managed to grow their lead against the occasional brilliance displayed by the lasses from Hayleys. (1Q MAS 38 – 17 Hayleys)
The 3rd quarter saw some pointless passage, but Rizmi of MAS managed to steal the ball and to have a basket to extend the lead. But this was a comeback quarter for the Hayleys side, as they managed to put some brakes on the rate of scoring of the MAS outfit, who seemed to be cruising to a mammoth victory. (1Q MAS 48 – 22 Hayleys)
In the final quarter, Hayleys got an excellent start with a basket from Amanda. It followed some brilliant defensive play by Hayleys, and all of a sudden, the MAS ladies were under tremendous pressure. But that effort was enough to win the quarter but wasn’t enough to upset the applecart of MAS Holdings, as they went on to clinch the title with a heavy margin.
Full Time: MAS Holdings 58 – 34 Hayleys
After scoring 70 points in the tournament, the exceptional performer Mihiri Alwis (MAS Holdings) was adjudged as the most valuable player for the Ranil Ganewatte Memorial Trophy of Division “D”.
Division “D” Champions : MAS Holdings
Hasini Rajapaksha (Captain), Mihiri Alwis, Janithi Karunasekara, Chathuni Kandawinna, Vishmi Dias, Amenda Siriwardhane, Ashethra Fernando, Heshya Chandrasekara, Supipi Dilhara, Dilini Hasanka, Jayani Ekanayake, Nimesh Wijayawardhane,
- Ismail Salahudeen (Head Coach), Joshua Siriwardhane (Assistant Coach)
Division “D” Runners-up : Hayleys PLC.
Kanchana Sanjeewani (Captain), Ann Wickramasinghe, Amanda Denuwara, Malsha Senanayake, Rizana Nazeer, Shamindi Dissanayake, Dilu Sandalika, Rajitha Herath, Randi Nethmini, Poornima Edirithilake, Dhanusha Hewage
- Lasantha Gunawardhane (Head Coach ), D. N. Roshintha Weerapperuma (Assistant Coach)
MAS Holdings captain Hasini Rajapaksha and Hayleys captain Kanchana Sanjeewani receiving their trophies
The most valuable player of the tournament Division “D” : Mihiri Alwis (MAS Holdings)
, the biggest league competition in Sri Lanka which is organised for the cager sport, were held yesterday at the Royal College Indoor Sports Complex. After some thrilling basketball actions, IFS and MAS outfits were crowned as the champions in Division “C” and “D”, respectively.){kind=link}