Victory Playground win nail biter

Victory Playground ‘B’ scored a pulsating 46-40 win over Rahimpura PG 46-40 in the opening match of the first Samuel Vasanth Kumar Memorial Basketball Tournament, organised by Sports Writers Association of Telangana (SWAT) and sponsored by Sports Village, at the Victory Playground on Thursday.

In what turned out to be closely fought affair, the Victory Playground cagers were given a run for their money by the Rahimpura players. The winners managed to take a slender two-point lead going into the break. They led 19-17.

The second half was no different as both teams played their hearts out to the cheer of the spectators. The Victory Playground cagers managed to break the shackles and surge ahead at a crucial moment. They scored 27 points to their rival’s 23 in the second half to eke out a well-deserved victory.

Prasanth scored 14 points and Harish got eight for the winners, while Sai Krishna was the star player for Rahimpura. Earlier the tournament was inaugurated by SR Prem Raj, Officer on Special Duty of GHMC, and Rachel Charan, sister of Samuel Vasanth Kumar.

Recalling the contribution of Vasanth Kumar, Prem Raj said he was a very dedicated coach and official. “Sam anna never missed a single game,’’ said Raj, who was a close friend of Vasanth Kumar.

Results: Victory PG 46 (Prasanth 14, Harish 8) bt Rahimpura PG (Sai Krishna 14)