SVK Memorial Basketball tourney off to thrilling start

Hyderabad: Host Secunderabad YMCA cruised to a 59-27 win over King Basketball Club (KBC) in the opening match of the third Samuel Vasanth Kumar memorial invitation basketball tournament here on Monday.

The tournament, held in memory of the late Basketball Federation of India (BFI) referee and sports journalist, is jointly organised by the Hyderabad District Basketball Association (HDBA) and the Sports Writers Association of Telangana (SWAT).

The home side moved like a well-oiled machine, zipping off to a 21-0 start in the opening quarter. Point guards Ashu Tyagi and Dennis Sehgal took turns to score with ease, mostly through layup shots. At half-time, the winner led 39-9.

Backing them was seasoned Sachin, who on one occasion netted the ball with a splendid underarm layup shot. His coordination with the frontline was visible in a behind-the-back pass to Sehgal, who made no mistake, right under the opponent's backboard.

In the other match, Sanathnagar Play Ground's (SPG) centre Prithvi Munigalla scored the shot of the tournament against Hyderabad Rovers. A long-range attempt from the semi-circle found the rival hoop in SPG's 70-58 victory in the second and last match of the day. At half time, the winner trailed 23-33.

Earlier, Jagan Mohan Rao, Vice President, Handball Federation of India and Chairman, Premier Handball League, inaugurated the championship with 16 teams in the fray.

Besides trophies in each category, the tournament carries cash prizes for the winner (Rs. 15,000), runner-up (Rs. 12,000), winning semi-finalists (Rs. 7500 each),Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rs. 5000, Most Promising Valuable Player (MPVP) Rs. 5000 and best coach (Rs. 3000).

Results:

1. Secunderabad YMCA 59 (Ashu Tyagi 12, Dennis Sehgal 10, Sachin 10) bt KBC 27 (Pavan 9)

2. SPG 70 (Nikhil 27, Prithvi 12, Akhil 8, Naveed 7) bt Hyderabad Rovers 58 (Mahesh 23, Vishal 14, Rahul 13)