Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) ousted Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 62-43 to emerge men’s champion in the senior Federation Cup basketball championships, which concluded at the Chittoor District Sports Authority courts on Sunday night.
The blitz by the bankers blew away ONGC from the onset itself. Long overhead passes fed the frontline, which centre Rikin Pethani and shooting guard S. Prasanna Venkatesh frequently converted. On its home turf, IOB kept out the dangerous Muin Bek for most of the first half, which the bankers dominated 32-25.
The southern side sustained the same tempo through the third quarter too, separating itself further from its Dehradun-based opponent to 49-38. IOB’s vigilance with defensive rebounds saw several ONGC attempts roll off the rim and out of the ring.
In the concluding quarter, the bankmen played it safe, slowing down the pace and punching holes in the ONGC defence that had run out of steam.
Earlier, Kerala women erased the early edge Tamil Nadu took with drive-in baskets and by plugging the gaps in its own half. Siblings S. Sathiya and S. Pushpa had woven quite a tangled web in Kerala’s paint area.
G. Rojamol’s brace of three-pointers saw Kerala wrest the initiative and Anjana P.G.’s scoring from the low-post area made inroads into the TN citadel. Defending its own backboard, Kerala curbed the advances of its rival forwards.
Marauding runs by Meenumol P.S. definitely swung things Kerala’s away, the intrepid point-guard logging a whopping 16 by half-time as her side led 31-25. The teams were tied 16-16 in the opening session.
But for brief substitutions, the Kerala think-tank persisted with the starting five. The opening quintet duly delivered, living up to the faith reposed in it. With the cushion of a comfortable lead, it indulged in perimeter rotation around the D, rarely loosening its grip or control on its attack.
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