Bulls win Asif Iqbal Memorial Basketball

RAWALPINDI: Bulls had to really work hard to beat Wah Reapers 59-56 in the final of the 2nd Asif Iqbal Memorial Basketball Championship 2019 here, says a press release.

Lt Col Muhammad Yaseen Akbar from the 111 Brigade and Rawalpindi Basketball Association President Imtiaz Butt were the guests of honour on the occasion.

When Bulls took a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter, everyone present at the Racecourse basketball courts thought that the final was headed towards a straightforward finish. But Reapers had other ideas.

The next three quarters produced some exciting and quality basketball with both sides fighting hard to claim superiority. It was a close battle all the way.

The first half ended with Bulls leading 29-24 even though Reapers out-pointed their opponents 17-16 in the second quarter.

There was little to choose between the two sides in the third quarter as the battle to take an upper hand continued. Only one separated the period with Bulls edging Reapers 15-14 — a six-point lead overall.

Reapers went for broke in the fourth quarter and were able to put Bulls under a little pressure. But the eventual winners did not allow their opponents to take complete control. Reapers outscored Bulls 18-15 in the fourth quarter but were not able to overhaul their deficit and lost by just three points.

Yasir was the best scorer for Bulls with a contribution of 11 points. Waleed and Usman Ranjha had an equally good game for their 10 points each while Rizwan collected nine. Mehtab led Reapers’ charge with 14 points. He was well supported by Omer (13), Waqas (11) and Tayyab (6).

The tournament’s semi-finals were also played earlier in the day.

Bulls qualified for the final with a 57-48 victory over Thunders.

Yasir (23), Rizwan (14) and Usman Ranjha (13) were Bulls’ main players. Shahid (26), Sufiyan (7) and Omer (6) played well for Thunders.

In the second semi-final, Reapers defeated Raptors 49-46 after a close fight.

Omer (15), Mehtab (15) and Tayyab (7) were the leading scorers for Reapers. Farhan (21), Mohsin (11) and Islam (9) were the main contributors for Raptors.

The 2nd Asif Iqbal Memorial Basketball Championship 2019 was organised by the Falcons Basketball Club in collaboration with the Federal Basketball Association.