Sport Extra

Rare achievement by Mercantile cager teams at the Nationals

Sanjaya ARIYARATNE

The champion Mercantile Services men’s basketball team is seen here with the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Gamini Lokuge and President of the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation Sarath Ekanayake.

Mercantile Services Basketball Association teams achieved a rare double by winning both the men’s and the women’s championship at the 45th Senior National Basketball Championships worked off at the Depot Police courts, Bambalapitiya.

Led by national cap Roshan Gunasekara the Mercantile SBA beat Sri Lanka Police BA by 70 points to 57 after leading by 40 points to 22 at the breather.

M. K. Shiran and Roshan Gunasekara with 17 points each and Rasika Prabath with 12 points powered the MSBA team to victory.

Buddhika Kumudapperuma and Sujith Master scored 16 points each for the losers.

The winning team comprised Roshan Gunasekara, national player Rasika Prabath, M.K. Shiran, Sri Lanka national cager Virantha Bastian, Manjula Jayaratne, Niroshan Dhanushka, Isuru Perera, Dilan Perera, Maxwell Saranapala, Malintha Fernando, Pradeep Pushpakumara and Vijaya Basker.

Before reaching the final Mercantile cagers had the better of Gampaha District Basketball Association by 69 points to 54 while Police cagers beat Sri Lanka Air Force by 89 points to 82 in the other semifinal.

The Mercantile women routed Sri Lanka Schools cagers by 84 points to 59 played at the same venue. The scores stood at 36 points to 30 at the breather with the winners taking the lead.

Skipper Kumarine Silva (20), Premila Fernando (18) and Inoka Sandamalie (13) stood out for the winners while Sulochana Ratnasekara contributed a massive 25 points and Anjalee Ekanayake scored 12 points for Schools.

The Mercantile women’s team consisted of Kumarine Silva, Asia’s number two women’s cager Premila Fernando, Inoka Sandamalie, Jayaliya Kumari, Sanduni Bollegala, Dilani Fernando, Erandi Gallage, Benita Thalagala, Rasuni Karunaratne, Rupika Rupasinghe, S. de Silva and Umanga de Soysa.

It was their coach Miseaq Mohideen who took great pains to mould these two teams into champion outfits.

Prior to the final Mercantile women outplayed Colombo District Basketball Association to cruise into the final by a margin of 95 points to 64 after taking a close 40 points to 37 lead at the short whistle.

Inoka Sandamalie (20), Kumarine Silva (19) and Erandi Gallage (15) stood for the winners while Shanali Weerasekara (15), Prasadi Fonseka and Sashikala Rumen with 17 points each did well for the losers.

Schools cagers posted a runaway 61 points to 27 victory over Kandy District Basketball Association in the other semi final. The winners were well ahead with 41 points to 15 at half time.

Sulochana Ratnasekara (15) and Oshadi Karunaratne (10) were the best shooters for Sri Lanka Schools BA while Shifaya Akbaz fought a lone battle for the losers with 13 points.

The most significant fact in this year’s tournament was that all individual awards for both men and women categories were awarded to the champion Mercantile Services Basketball Association teams.

Rasika Prabath has been named the best player for men in the tournament while M.K. Shiran clinching the best shooter award. Premila Fernando was adjudged the most outstanding female player of the tournament while their skipper Kumarine Silva carried away the prize for the best women’s shooter.