Comm Credit show their prowess with convincing win
View(s):26th MSBA league Basketball
By Lakshman Ranasinghe
Curtain came down on the 26th Mercantile League Basketball Tournament 2016 at the Henry Pedris Basketball Complex under lights when Commercial Credit & Finance PLC showed their prowess in Mercantile Basketball by retaining the Mercantile ‘A’ Men’s title for the 3rd successive year by whipping Union Assurance PLC to an easy 53/37 win while Hatton National Bank emerged champions in the Women’s ‘A’ Division.
In the Men’s ‘A’ final Commercial Credit & Finance dominated play from the first whistle and led 12/8, 28/13, 43/29 before winning.
A star studded, unbeaten Hatton National Bank with Anjalee Ekanayake, Umanga de Zoysa, Imasha Thathsarani and Kumarini Silva over powered the fighting Seylan Bank 59/43 to win the Women’s ‘A’ Division tournament.
HNB dominated in all three segments 11/4, 30/12 and 44/27 before winning.
Dialog Axiata took sweet revenge over John Keells Group when they scored a convincing 66/51 win to clinch the Men’s ‘B’ Division title. Dialog intelligently led by Rimaz Hassan led on all three segments 16/4, 27/21 and 41/37 before winning.
In the Women’s ‘B’ Division finals national player Natasha Perera with her tremendous athletic speed and accurate shooting single handedly propelled unbeaten NDB Bank to a heart stopping 44/42 win over MAS Holdings to clinched the title.
Natasha scored 36 points which took her personal tally to 132 in 5 matches for the winners.
MAS led the 1st quarter 13/11 but NDB was ahead 29/25 at half time and the 3rd quarter was shared 33/33.
Kanrich Finance dazzled a packed audience as they went past NDB Bank 44/33 in the Men’s ‘C’ Division final to carry away the championship award.
Kanrich led in all 3 quarters 11/4, 24/11 and 36/21.
National player Charith Perera blended well with Kanishka Wijesinghe and Sameera Nishanga while attacking the stone walled the rampaging NDB star players Mohomed Fawshan, Jude Perera and skipper Cabandugama.
After a hectic battle in the Men’s ‘D’ Division finals Seylan Bank staved off a last minute stampede by Union Bank, to lift the title with a 74/72 win.
The ‘babies’ of mercantile basketball, Union Bank trailing by 18 points in the last quarter gave the charge of the ‘light brigade’ via lion hearted Hasitha Wijeratne and the brilliant Clifford Shenal as they went down fighting by 2 points.
Amana Bank, led by former Wattala Antonian Gayan Dissanayake, emerged unbeaten champions in the Men’s ‘E’ division when they scored a convincing 62/49 win over WNS Global.
Amana Bank thus finished with 8 wins in a row scoring 473 points in their favour to 359 against.
Amana Bank led 12/8 in the first quarter, but WNS Global hit back and forged ahead 29/24 at half time. In a well fought 3rd quarter Amana Bank wrest back the lead 42/40.