Cager Cubs win Bronze but miss out on Asian Championships

The South Asian Basketball Championship which is also the qualifier for the 24^th FIBA Asia U-18 Asian Championships were held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Even though Sri Lanka did not have the best of tournaments, they beat host nation Bangladesh on their way to the Bronze medal.

The first match for Sri Lanka was against Nepal. Sri Lanka got on to a good start in both the tournament and the game. Yet, the islanders lost the game by a point as the game went down to the wire.

The lads from the Himalayas used their height advantage effectively to score the extra point that took them all the way to victory.

The final scorecard read 65-64 in favor of Nepal.

After a tough loss in the 1^st game, Sri Lanka met the heavyweights of the South Asian region; India. It was indeed not the easiest of challenges for the boys and they had to walk away in despair, losing by not just a point or two but seventy-five points. India dominated the game from start to end and it was evident that Sri Lanka never got a foot in the game.

The final scorecard read 127-52.

Having lost both their games, the youngsters were in tough position. Yet, they were left with one last opportunity to clinch a medal.

The third game for young lads was scheduled to be played against the host nation Bangladesh. Both teams had met with losses in the first couple of games so the winner of the match was to be awarded the Bronze medal.

It was not the easiest of tasks as Sri Lanka were down by twenty points at lemons. Making a robust comeback into the game during the second half, Sri Lanka edged past the home lads to clinch the Bronze medal.

The final score card was 64-60 in favour of Sri Lanka.

Their dreams of qualifying for the Asian Championships were shattered, however, as only the champions of the tournament went through to the big event.

The team will return to Sri Lanka tomorrow, 3^rd June 2016.

ThePapare.com congratulates the team on the Bronze Medal Win!    

Stay logged on to ThePapare.com as we bring you a special “Swishing The Nets” segment on the aftermath and what Sri Lanka as a country can take from the tournament.