Golden Phoenixes beat Saints in basketball league

Hyderabad: Golden Phoenixes continued their impressive run, scoring an emphatic 83-67 win over Saints after leading 32-24 at half-time in the GM Sampath Kumar Annual League Basketball Championship at YMCA Secunderabad on Friday.

In a keenly contested match, there was not much difference between the two teams, but Phoenixes never lost the lead. Captain David started with a brace, while Khadeer and Kanthu contributed 16 points.

However, Saints were not far behind, with Steven chipping in with two baskets through drive-ins and two three-pointers, as Golden Phoenixes held a 16-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Phoenixes continued in the same rhythm to score another 16 points and restricted Saints to 11, taking a 32-24 lead at half-time.

After the break, in a high-scoring third quarter, Aijaz of Saints took centre stage and used his height to good effect, scoring 12 points from the paint. Mani and Steven contributed four points apiece as Saints scored 20 points.

However, GP’s Kanthu was unstoppable and, combining with Sammy, scored a total of 25 points to give Phoenixes a comfortable 57-44 lead at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Saints played a fast-paced game and tried hard to make a comeback, but Golden Phoenixes kept scoring baskets at regular intervals to thwart the opposition, winning the match 83-67.

The scores: Golden Phoenixes 58 (Kanthu 22, David 17, Anil 10, Sammy 12) bt Saints 67 (Steven 19, Aijaz 18, Bhanu 12).