The Sri Lanka Under-16 boys team ended the preliminary round of the South Asia Basketball Association (SABA) Under-16 Qualifiers tournament with a hard fought loss against the defending champions, India. They have started their campaign on a high note with back-to-back wins against Bangladesh and Maldives lads and that remarkable victories have already secured Sri Lanka a berth in the final.
Game 1 Sri Lanka vs Maldives
On the opening day of the competition, Sri Lanka played against the hosts, Maldives. Without wasting any time the lads from the Lion nations started to roar and established their dominance in the encounter. During the first quarter Sri Lanka had a great time by scoring 33 points while the hosts managed to get only 08 points. (SL 33 – 08 Maldives)
In the second quarter, Sri Lanka managed to carry their game momentum and scored another 32 points while Maldives had a similar situation and scored just 08 points. (SL 65 – 16 Maldives)
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By the half time the game was already in the bag of the Lankans and Sri Lanka coaching staff made some replacements to fine tune the talents of the youths and to experiment some new combinations. During the third quarter Sri Lankan lads again scored 32 points while Maldives had a time to forget as their score was limited to two points. (SL 97 – 18 Maldives)
In the final quarter Maldives showcased a much improved performance by scoring few back to back baskets and accumulated 10 points. In the meanwhile Sri Lanka managed to extend their lead to 88 points by scoring another 19 points.
Full time score Sri Lanka 116 – 28 Maldives
Game 2 Sri Lanka 118 – 28 Bangladesh
In the second encounter Sri Lankan lads fought against their arch rivals Bangladesh. In the first quarter there was a one way traffic as the strong Sri Lankan side demolished Bangladesh by scoring 33 points. The rivals managed to accumulate just 08 points in reply. (SL 33 – 08 Ban)
During the second quarter the lion cubs scored another 28 points while their opponent played hard to score just 08 more points. Sri Lanka went to halftime with a massive lead of 46 points. (SL 62 – 16 Ban)
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In the third quarter, the lads from Sri Lanka never looked back and kept threatening the rivals. Sri Lanka scored another 32 points in the quarter while helpless Bangladesh had to console with just 07 points. Most significantly Sri Lanka displayed magnificent ball passing skills and accurate shootings regularly while the defensive unit of Bangladesh had no clue of them. (SL 97 – 18 Ban)
In the final quarter, the aggression displayed by the Lankans throughout the game was hindered and they managed to score only 20 points. Even Bangladesh never displayed any fighting signs during the last quarter and accumulated just another 07 points.
At the end of the day Sri Lanka managed to steamroll the Bangladesh outfit with much ease and most importantly with the same score that they beat the hosts.
Full time score Sri Lanka 118 – 28 Bangladesh
Game 3 Sri Lanka vs India
In the final battle of the preliminary round, Sri Lanka faced a tough challenge from the defending champions india. Though both sides had already secured their position in the finals, it didn’t make any effect on the aggression of the game. During the first quarter, Indian lads managed to accumulate 26 points while Sri Lanka summed up 14 points. Inside the first quarter, Sri Lanka had lost a few golden opportunities to score. (SL 14 – 26 Ind)
The second quarter was a neck to neck battle and Sri Lanka made a strong reply by scoring 21 points including the 3 point basket scored by the captain Aaron. India also never let the game go out of their hands as they scored 24 points. (SL 50 – 35 Ind)
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During the third quarter lads from India were cruising for points and they accumulated another 34 points which was their best effort in a quarter. Aaron’s men also managed to score 21 points against mighty Indians. (SL 84 – 56 Ind)
In the last quarter Indians scored 27 points while spirited Sri Lanka outfit also had a strong reply with 23 points.
Full Time score India 111 – 79 Sri Lanka
For Sri Lanka, the captain, Aaron Gerald displayed a magnificent play to energize the Sri Lankan side. Further Pasindu Nimsara, Methun Chethaka Wijendra, Dulain James, Vijan Nethmika, Navindu Damsiha Waduwavala, Kavinda Angelo Ramanayake, Chelan Weerasinghe made valuable contribution of the day.
 Under-16 Qualifiers tournament with a hard fought loss against the defending champions, India. They have started their campaign on a high note with back-to-back wins against Bangladesh and Maldives lads and that remarkable victories have already secured Sri Lanka a berth in the final.){kind=link}