Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, July 9:

Rinzin Thapa Magar top-scored with 29 points as Rhododendron International Boarding School (RIBS) defeated the last year’s losing finalists Himalayan White House International College (HWHIC) 68-58 to lift the second Annual Father Watrin Men’s Basketball Championship organised by Godavari Alumni Association (GAA) in association with The Himalayan Times here today.

Rinzin played a vital role as the player earned the most valuable player of the tournament in RIBS’s avenge to last year’s semi-final loss against HWHIC.

The match was a balanced one, as both the teams could not take a huge lead in the first two quarters. RIBS took four-point lead in two both quarters, making it 28-20 till the half time. RIBS players added 24 points with Rinzin alone netting nine points and two three-pointers from Prayag Gurung in the third quarter.

Sujan Shrestha, Anil Maharjan and Sushil Gurung scored five points each while one three-pointer from Niraj Singh Rathore helped HWHIC accumulate 19 points, making it 52-39 in favour of RIBS by the end of the third quarter. The HWHIC players were trying hard to reduce the margin, but RIBS took a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory.

The first basket, a two-pointer, was scored by Sushil Gurung of HWHIC after 44 seconds of the fourth quarter and soon after that Niraj had a three-pointer to make it 44-52.

But Rinzin’s six points, including a three-pointer, and a two-pointer from Prayag saw RIBS led by 18 points, making it 60-44, and the final whistle was just six minutes and thirty seconds away.

The rest of the match saw Rinzin adding four points whereas Ajay Manandhar and Prayag Gurung netted two points each for RIBS and Anil Maharjan had four points and Sujan Shrestha, who had the last basket of the tournament, added nine points for HWHIC with eight seconds remaining.

President of Nepal Basketball Association Kuldeep Singh Rathore gave away prizes to the winners of the 16-day tournament participated in by 16 teams.