YMCA Secunderabad beats Titans to win John Vinayasager basketball title
YMCA Secunderabad defeated Titans 90-69 in the final of the BM John Vinayasager basketball tournament after leading 38-36 at half-time. Strong defence and key performances from Nathan, Samuel and Rakesh helped seal a comfortable win
Hyderabad: YMCA Secunderabad scored a hard-fought 90-69 win against Titans in the final after leading 38-36 at half-time of the BM John Vinayasager basketball tournament at YMCA Secunderabad here on Saturday. John Vinayasager was a former basketball international.
The match started with both teams showing their respective skill sets and trying to dominate each other. Titans used their speed, scoring through Vignesh and Surya, driving in fast-break situations, whereas Nandit used his height to good effect, scoring from the paint and making 20 points.
However, YMCA Secunderabad used long-range shooting and occasional drive-ins. Ashish, Samuel and Nathan combined and made four three-pointers as both teams were locked at 20-20 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter too, Titans’ Chris and Kushal scored 16 points, whereas YMCA’s Nathan dominated, scoring half the points made by YMCA Secunderabad with two three-pointers. Aided by Harsha’s jump shots from the paint and a three-pointer from Rakesh, YMCA scored 18 points as it led 38-36 at half-time.
After a change of ends, YMCA tightened its defence, restricting Titans to just 11 points, with Vignesh scoring eight of them. However, Titans’ Nandit got injured and was relegated to the bench for a few minutes, which affected Titans’ defence as well as defensive rebounding.
YMCA Secunderabad was quick and smart to grab the opportunity, playing a fast-paced game. Samuel, Nathan and Harsha combined well to score 25 points to take a decisive 63-47 lead at the end of the third quarter.
In the intensely contested fourth quarter, Vignesh and Surya combined well to score 18 points between them. With two consecutive three-pointers from Surya, Titans tried hard for a comeback, scoring 22 points in the quarter, but the lead was too big to recover.
On the other hand, YMCA’s Nathan, Samuel and Rakesh chipped in with timely baskets at regular intervals, scoring 24 points to maintain the lead and finally win the match 90-69.
The scores: Final: YMCA Sec’bad 90 (Nathan 27, Samuel 18, Rakesh 17, Harsha 11) bt Titans 69 (Surya 19, Nandit 15).
