Keystone Basketball Academy edges Titans 66-65 in thriller at YMCA Secunderabad

Keystone Basketball Academy defeated Titans 66-65 in a thrilling Level I stage clash of the GM Sampath Kumar Trophy at YMCA Secunderabad. Keystone fought back from a half-time deficit, sealing victory with clutch free throws in the final seconds

Hyderabad: Keystone Basketball Academy recorded a thrilling 66-65 win against Titans after trailing 34-42 at half-time in the Level I stage of the Annual League Basketball Championship for the GM Sampath Kumar Trophy at YMCA Secunderabad on Thursday.

Vicky’s two and Surya’s one three-pointers helped Titans, who played a brisk game, score 19 points.

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On the other hand, Aryan combined well with Dhairya to score 11 points for Keystone. In the high-scoring second quarter, Titans relied on shooting outside the arc as the tall and lanky Keystone defence was hard to penetrate.

Titans scored as many as five three-pointers to collect 23 points. Keystone was not far behind, with Chandrachur playing in tandem with Saharsh (two three-pointers) to score 22 points, as Titans led 42-34 at half-time.

After the change of ends, Keystone tightened their defence on the three-point line, restricting Titans to just 11 points. Saharsh (two three-pointers), Aryan and Chandrachur combined to score 17 points, reducing the deficit to just two points at 51-53 by the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Keystone equalised quickly and the match went basket to basket. With just 28 seconds left, Titans were leading 65-64 when Dhairya of Keystone converted a free throw to level the scores.

With only 14 seconds left, Subhash converted another free throw to give Keystone a 66-65 lead. Titans attempted a three-pointer buzzer-beater but failed to convert, and Keystone sealed the win.

The scores:

Men: Keystone BA 66 (Saharsh 22, Aryan 15) bt Titans 65 (Vicky 24, Surya 12).

Women: BITS Hyderabad 31 (Shreya 13) bt Ballin Stars 11.