Avant-Garde Basketball Championship 2014: HSC Blues, Avant A set for evenly-poised final encounter

Friday, 20 June 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

HSC Blues and Avant “A” Team, the top contenders for the Avant-Garde Basketball Championship, will tussle with each other this Saturday (21). The final match, coming in after two exciting semi-finals, will witness a poised encounter at the Henry Pedris Stadium in Colombo. The semi-final scores are as follows: Avant A beat HSC Blacks 52-51, while HSC Blues defeated Colombo BC 40-38. HSC Blues, to their credit, have maintained a superb record in the tournament so far, despite some tough resistance shown from the contenders Colombo BC. Both teams were entangled in a fight-to-the-finish that ended with a 3-point lead in Blues’ favour. The team has been fortified by sound leadership and coordination among their members. The preceding matches saw Mithila Abeysekera and Mohamed Faushan as the team’s top scorers.

Avant A has had a major fortune as a leading contender in the game so far. By virtue of their solid foundation in the early stages of the Championship, Avant A was easily able to fortify themselves with a sure lead. This guaranteed them a place in the semis and the ultimate Final. Philip Ferral (the top individual scorer for the tournament thus far) and teammate Pradeep Pushpakumara added 10 points to their team, Avant A. Ferral has a overall lead tally of 171 points, a feat unmatched by any other single player in the Match. He shot the winning basket just eight seconds before the final whistle was blown in the semis. He is a credit to his team, undoubtedly the biggest strength for the team. HSC Blues, however, are seen to have a slight “mental advantage” over their contenders at the upcoming Final Match, owing to the fact that they have been the only unbeatable team throughout the three-week long tournament. It also needs be said that they managed to beat even Avant A during the group stage, a feat the latter team has not, it seems, been able to reciprocate when it comes to their Final contenders. Mithila Abeysekera and Philip Ferral will be the leading men of the final encounter to come.