BENGALURU:Akashdeep Hazra produced the game’s first and only slam dunk to the delight of the large crowd, fetching India the 91st point against Sri Lanka. And at 93-44, the buzzer went off as India won the 4th South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Championships and qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup in September.
India thus retained the title while Nepal ended third behind the Lankans. Maldives beat Nepal 97-55 earlier, while in the morning, India steamrolled Madives 128-48 with their highest total in the event, and Sri Lanka huffed and puffed to a 76-68 victory over gritty Nepal. Bangladesh bear basement dwellers Bhutan 82-70.
The decider proved to be one-sided, despite Sri Lanka matching India initially. But once India won the first quarter 22-13, there was no looking back as the Indians raced away to glory. Sri Lanka were out of it while playing catch up, making it all the more easier for the hosts.
Skipper Rikin Pethani, Akashdeep Hazra and darling of the crowd, A Arvind, provided solid defending under the board. They blocked numerous efforts or picked up defensive rebounds to set up swift counters.
Pratham Singh, Joginder Singh Saharan and Narender Grewal provided some pin-point finishing. Aravind played a superb all-round game to top the scoring charts with 22 points.
The Indians were never in danger of being caught up, as they produced a dominant show in the middle and on the flanks. Prasanna Venkatesh led the way with 26 points, scoring two three-pointers and eight two-pointers against Maldives. Prasanna also played a crucial part under the board snatching as many as eight rebounds on either side.
Lanky and bearded Rikin was not far behind with his defensive and offensive abilities, as he sank 21 points, with a couple of stunning shots from outside the arc. He was virtually impenetrable and Maldives found it tough to make inroads.
Earlier, with Pratham, Joginder, Narender making brief appearances, and Gurvinder Singh Gill and Aravind warming the benches, Maldives escaped a bigger drubbing.
Results (Morning session): India 128 (Prasanna Venkatesh 26, Rikin Pethani 21, Akashdeep Hazra 17, A Arvind 17, Vinay Kaushik 12) bt Maldives 48 (Zakariya L 14, Ifsah Ahmed 8). Sri Lanka 76 (Randima Sooriyaachchi 16, Thimoti Thineskanth 14) bt Nepal 68 (Ayush Singh 13, Sadish Pradhan 12). Bangladesh 82 (Tareq Aziz 26, Mithunkumar Biswas 18) bt Bhutan 70 (Rinchen Dorji 21, Tashi Tendhar 12).
Evening session: India 93 (Aravind A 22, Pratham Singh 17, Joginder Singh 13, Narender Grewal 12) bt Sri Lanka 44 (Udumalagala Praneeth 13, Randima Sooriyaachchi 7). Maldives 97 bt Nepal 55.