Sri Lanka v Philippines (Girls’)
Sri Lanka gained first possession but Shereen Preena missed out on the pass to Nirma Sasanthi which caused a turn over right at the beginning of the game. Philippines, getting full value of the turnover, drew first blood as they led the game 1-0.
Sri Lanka took a considerable amount of time to settle but slowly made their way into the game as Nirma Sasanthi drew first blood and then went on to square the game 4-4 with seven minutes remaining. Both teams were going neck and neck but Sri Lanka did have the slight edge, having the services of Nirma, who was the tallest among the six without a doubt.
The two forward players, Shereen and Thishakya kept feeding the ball to Nirma for post moves which helped Sri Lanka keep the scoreboard moving. Philippines kept themselves in the game too, never allowing the Sri Lankans to get too far ahead. With a minute to go, the scores were level at 11 all.
The game was squared 13-13 with 46.2 seconds on the clock when Shereen Preena, penetrating into the defense, took on a floater and added a crucial point as Sri Lanka led the game 14-13 with 30 more seconds left on the clock.
It was matter of retaining possession for the remaining seconds and the young girls stuck to the task. Nirma Sasanthi scored the final point as Sri Lanka won by 2 points.
Full time: Sri Lanka – 15 Philippines : 13
Sri Lanka v Malaysia (Boys’)
Malaysia claimed first the possession of the game and they got the party started by swishing the nets from downtown. It was Arnold Brent who drew first blood for Sri Lanka as he drew a foul and converted the and-one to level the scores 2-2.
Even though Sri Lanka did square the score card and showed competiveness early on, they soon lost the plot completely as Malaysia went on a scoring rampage. The score for the Islanders stood still at two until the final three minutes.
Sri Lanka were under pressure and as a result they failed to execute their offensive plans. The young lads did score on a couple of possessions but Malaysia walked away with a comfortable win.
Full Time: Sri Lanka – 10 Malaysia – 20
Sri Lanka v Vietnam (Girls’)
Vietnam drew first blood but Shereen Preena, shooting from the arc, started the game with a bang, getting the lead back to the Islanders 2-1. The game was leveled up on a couple of occasions. With 4 minutes on the clock, the scoreboard read 7 all.
However, the Vietnamese defenders, reading the main offensive plot of the Sri Lankans, blocked off Nirma Sasanthi; a plan which prevented Sri Lanka from taking the upperhand.
Vietnam shifted the rhythm back as a result of the continuos fouls Sri Lanka committed and scored one after another to win the game by a comfortable five-point margin.
Full time: Sri Lanka – 12 Vietnam – 17
Sri Lanka v Singapore (Boys’)
The Sri Lankan lads suffered their second loss in the tournament as Singapore beat them by a comfortable ten points.
Repeating the same mistakes from the first game, the execution of the offensive possessions for Sri Lanka was nowhere to be seen. They were opting for shots from almost everywhere within the playing area and did not look like they had a clear strategy. That pressure transferred onto the defensive line as well as they failed to stop many two pointers.
Full time: Singapore -20 Sri Lanka – 10
