Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Sonics and YMCA Knights cruised into the semi-finals of the Summer Slam 2019 Basketball Tournament organised by YMCA Titans under the aegis of Goa Basketball Association on Thursday.
Hosts YMCA Titans and Panjim Basketeers were the other two teams which joined them into the last four of the championship underway at Indoor stadium, DBO, Panjim. In the men’s section, hot favourite Sonics, riding on the brilliance of Brandon Gabriel (9 pts) and Aaron Gabriel (9 pts) registered a resounding 51–17 win over Vasco Cagers. YMCA Knights, the other favourites, were however made to work extremely hard by Lourdes Basketeers. The Lourdes team fought till the last whistle before succumbing to a 42-30 defeat.
Daniel Vaz (20 pts) and Nihal Fernandes (9 pts) were the pick of the players for the Knights team while Shubham Singh (7 pts) and Rahul Prabhu (6 pts) waged a spirited battle for the Lourdes squad.
YMCA Titans had a relatively easy day out against Gladiators, getting past them with a 55–35 score line. With Rahul D’Souza (12 pts) and Jaden Vas (10 pts) in full flow for Titans, the Gladiators team found it pretty tough from the start.
Sahil Dessai (14 pts) and Ian D’souza (10 pts) played their part well for the losing team. In the final quarter finals match of the day, Panjim Basketeers upset KJs, one of the top teams from Goa, 42–20. Sahil Karale (10 pts) and Omkar Chopade (9 pts) were the top scorers for Panjim Basketeers. Both these players made it extremely hard for the KJs team with their frequent drive-ins and speedy runs. The experienced Lambert Godinho (6 pts) played well for the KJs team. In the semi finals, Sonics will be up against YMCA Titans while YMCA Knights will clash with Panjim Basketeers.
