BITS Hyderabad edge Rahimpura 41-40 in basketball league thriller

BITS Hyderabad edged Rahimpura Playground 41-40 in the GM Sampath Kumar annual league basketball championship after leading at half-time. Freestyle Ballers beat Sunday Ballers 66-61 to qualify as pool winners for a knockout match carrying promotion to Level II

Hyderabad: BITS, Hyderabad, edged out Rahimpura Playground 41-40 after leading 30-19 at half-time in the GM Sampath Kumar annual league basketball championship at YMCA Secunderabad here on Sunday.

BITS started strongly, with Srinath and Hari combining to score 20 points. Srinath converted three drive-in shots and added a three-pointer, while Hari sank two three-pointers. Tejas chipped in with a three-pointer and a drive-in shot.

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Rahimpura were slow to get going, with Ravinath scoring seven of their first nine points as BITS led 20-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams scored 10 points apiece in a closely contested second quarter, allowing BITS to maintain an 11-point lead and go into half-time ahead 30-19.

After the change of ends, Rahimpura tightened their defence to restrict BITS to just six points. They found their rhythm at the other end, scoring 14 points, including three-pointers from Ravinath, to cut the deficit to three points at 33-36 by the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, both teams focused on defence. BITS managed only five points, while Rahimpura scored seven. Ravinath and Adarsh sank a three-pointer each for Rahimpura, but BITS controlled possession in the closing stages to seal a thrilling 41-40 victory.

In another match, Freestyle Ballers maintained their unbeaten record by beating Sunday Ballers 66-61 after the teams were tied 31-31 at half-time. The win helped Freestyle Ballers qualify as Pool winners for the knockout match, with promotion to Level II at stake.

Scores

BITS, Hyderabad 41 (Hari 16, Srinath 10, Vaidyanath 8) bt Rahimpura Playground 40 (Ravinath 27, Prudhvi 6, Adarsh 9).

Freestyle Ballers 66 (Sanjan 26, Kinshuk 13, Abhiram 13) bt Sunday Ballers 61 (Sriram 27, Ravi 9).

Trinity Basketball Promotions 56 (Rishab 23, Aditya 13, Vishanth 13) bt Alpha Basketball Academy 30 (Kaido 6, Varun 6, James 7).