By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – Nepal Army and Lalitpur High clinched the title of the first National Open Basketball Tournament on Saturday. Nepal Army became champion in the men’s category whereas Lalitpur High in the women’s.
Army defeated Royal by 77-65 in the finale held at Nakhipot Youth Club’s hall. Army led 10-8 in the first quarter and trailed by 25-26 in the second.
Moreover, Army won the third and fourth quarters by 20-13 and 22-18 respectively to secure their title. Nepal Army was rewarded with Rs. 50,000 while Royal received Rs. 25,000 cash prize.
In the women’s exciting clash, Lalitpur defeated hosts Nakhipot by a narrow margin of 37-35. In the first quarter, Lalitpur took a thin lead of 9-8. In the second quarter, Nakhipot took an 11-5 lead and remained ahead by 5 points overall until halftime. Lalitpur’s performance of 14-6 in the third quarter helped them to get close to the title.
In the fourth quarter, Nakhipot gained a lead of 10-9 but lost the title by 2 points overall. Champion Lalitpur pursed Rs. 30,000 and runners-up Nakhipot was rewarded Rs. 15,000 cash prizes.
Ayush Singh of Nepal Army and Asmita Thapa of Lalitpur was declared the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Both were rewarded with a gift hamper and a cash prize of 5,000 each.
The winners were felicitated by State MP Rajkaji Maharjan, General Secretary of Nepal Basketball Association Narendra Thapa, Nakhipot Youth Club President Ganga Sunwar, and others. 16 teams including 12 men’s and 4 women’s teams participated in the week-long competition.
