The Inter-House Basketball Encounter 2018 was organized by the Head Coach of Basketball, Mr. S. Pingamage, the MIC of Basketball, Mr. B. Senaratne and School officials. The tournament was segmented into the Senior Tournament (for U17 and U19) and the Junior Tournament (for U13 and U15).
The Junior matches were held on the 25th and 26th of June, and the Senior matches on the 30th of June 2018.
Junior Matches (Under 13 and Under 15)
The junior segment of the competition commenced on the 25th of June at the College Basketball Court. The elimination round began with matches from both U13 and U15 categories.
Squealery House displayed great skill in the U13 games and Gibson house were outstanding in the U15. Sahayam and Pilcher were demoted to the losing sides in the U13 category, whilst Squealery and Pilcher were dropped in the U15.
On day 2, Squealery dominated the U13 category beating all their contestants. Sahayam emerged undefeated in the U15 set, thus leading to victories of both houses in their respective age groups.
This left Saunders and Gibson fighting for second place in both categories. Saunders beat Gibson in both U13 and U15 to establish a second place victory. The fourth place matches were held between Sahayam and Pilcher, U13 and Squealery and Pilcher, U15. The U13 fourth place came to Pilcher after a challenging match. However in the U15 set, Squealery thrashed Pilcher to easily win the 4th place title.
Under 13 Category winners:
1st – Squealery
2nd – Saunders
3rd – Gibson
4th – Pilcher
5th – Sahayam
Most Offensive player: Adriel Jayasooriya (Saunders)
Most Defensive player: Janidu Rajakaruna (Squealery)
Most Valuable Player: Vishwa Chandralal (Squealery)
Under 15 Category winners:
1st – Sahayam
2nd – Saunders
3rd – Gibson
4th – Squealery
5th – Pilcher
Most Offensive player: Udara De Silva
Most Defensive player: Hasthika Meegahakumbura
Most Valuable Player: Shevindra Herath
Senior Matches (Under 17 and Under 19)
The U17 and U19 teams faced each other on the 30th of June 2018.
The games began early on with the U17 category matches. Oorloff and CBH were pushed to the losing side as Lemuel and Oorloff surged forward. Garrett being the recipient of the by-point lost their first match to Lemuel. The U19 teams performed exceptionally well from the start. Lemuel and CBH seemed unstoppable after their thrilling wins in the first stage.
The U17 and U19 battles kept on intensifying as every match became vital. The pressure built on as the excitement blazed the minds of the players as well as the keen spectators. Both Lemuel and Gibson in the U17 category had qualified for the finals.
CBH and Oorloff fought for the finals spot against Lemuel. CBH grabbed victory after a desperate extra quarter. Garrett took on Lemuel in the U17 Final. Lemuel took an early lead and though Garrett fought back to minimize the lead they couldn’t surpass the required score. At the end of the 4th Quarter, Lemuel were crowned the U17 champions.
The tournament met its climax when CBH took on Lemuel in the U19 finals. CBH took on Lemuel in the first quarter with confidence. However, it was short lived as Lemuel took a devastating lead making them invincible towards the 4th quarter. Lemuel took the U19 title as well.
Under 17 category winners:
1st – Lemuel
2nd – Garrett
3rd – Oorlof
4th – Central Boarding House
5th – Simithraaratchy
Most Offensive player: Pulith Cooray (Lemuel)
Most Defensive player: Vivek Hettiarachchi (Garrett)
Most Valuable Player: Dhamsith Aluthgedara (Lemuel)
Under 19 category winners:
1st – Lemuel
2nd – Central Boarding House
3rd – Oorlof
4th – Simiththiarachchy
5th – Garrett
Most Offensive player: Avishka Navaratne (CBH)
Most Defensive player: Ninuka Aluwihare (Lemuel)
Most Valuable Player: Milinda Sirimanne (Lemuel)
The three day tournament met its conclusion with the crowning of the U19 champions. The tournament marked the talent of the remarkable players who are or will be someday wearing the school jersey. The main objective of the Inter-House matches were to reveal the talents of the young players by giving them a chance to represent their Houses. Awards, both individual and team were handed out to the exceptional players for their skills.
Review by Jayageeth Basnayake
