AIS played Gateway College Kandy which went right down to wire as the winner had to be decided through an extra time period. AIS stole away the victory in the extra five minutes as the full time scorecard read 42-37.
The game started off with AIS getting the ball first but facing the tight defense of the Gateway girls they failed to take a clean shot and get points on board. The quarter showcased mainly the defensive skills of both teams as AIS opted a man-to-man defense and neither of the teams scored more than 3 baskets during the game making it a slow start.
First Quarter: Asian International School – 06 Gateway College Kandy- 04
AIS got back into momentum as they began the second quarter converting a free-throw opportunity into points. AIS added eight points to the quarter in reply to the thirteen points of GCK. Even though GCK led the game by three points into lemons, both the teams were nervous and yet to settle down into the game. Both the team possessed unforced errors of rebounding, dribbling and passing.
Half Time: Asian International School- 14 Gateway College Kandy- 17
Inter-International U19 Basketball Championship – Day 03
The game which was closely contested became even more competitive as GCK failed to score a single basket for the quarter, but trailed only by a point. AIS added four more points into the scoreboard but it was not enough for them to breathe easy. The quarter witnessed many travelling and jump ball violations from both sides.
Third Quarter: Asian International School- 18 Gateway College Kandy – 17
With a point lead AIS opened up the final six hundred seconds with a mid-range jumper. AIS feeling the pressure eased on the full court press which eventually opened up the scoring opportunities for GCK. Both teams took turns at taking the lead but AIS had the chance to secure their victory had they not missed a few open layups and shots under the basket. GCK took the edge from the shooting fouls as they tied the score in the last 30 seconds of the game.
Fourth Quarter: Asian International School – 32 Gateway College Kandy- 32
During the 5 minutes of overtime, it could have been either team’s game as they seemed equally matched. Yet, it seemed as though neither of the teams had the stamina to go on for another extra few minutes. By the end of the extra few minutes, it was the AIS full court press that won them the game by stealing the ball while it was still on the other side of the court and scoring in what was a nerve- wrecking game for both teams.
Overtime: Asian International School- 42 Gateway College Kandy – 37
The coach of AIS team ThePapare.com “Both teams made a fair amount of mistakes during the game but also gave it their best, we hope to fix the small basic mistakes we made which made us lose the ball unnecessarily by the next match.”
