ONGC down SFS

ONGC Dehradun edged out fancied opponents Shooting for Success (SFS) 84-80 on the second day of the fifth Don Bosco All-India basketball tournament being held at Don Bosco, Matunga, on Tuesday.

ONGC Dehradun came into the tournament on a high after winning the Federation Cup.  ONGC got off the blocks faster than their American opponents in the first quarter. The Americans rallied back quickly with some great dribbling and smooth passing and led 46-39 at halftime.

In the second half, ONGC were trailing till the third quarter. Excellent passing saw ONGC claw their way back into the game. The game was going neck-and-neck till the dying moments when ONGC scored two crucial baskets, which helped them seal the match.

For ONGC Riyaz Uddin and Trideep Rai worked well in tandem and scored 24 points each. Murali Krishna scored 12 points. Alex Robinson the top-scorer for Shooting for Success with 17 points was sent off. Captain David Jones also chipped in with 15 points.

After the match SFS captain David Jones was disappointed. Jones said, “We were too excited and didn’t relax enough. It was our first game here. We need to relax more.” He didn’t heap praise on ONGC, “They played well but we played really bad. We haven’t played so badly before.”

In the first match, the Chattisgarh women got the better of the Tamil Nadu 76-55. Chattisgarh seemed to be running away with the match with a 50-point cushion at the end of the third quarter but a late surge from the TN side narrowed the gap.