India duo leads Wingers to back-to-back Round titles

Chandigarh: Led by the India duo of

Amritpal

Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Ahmedabad

Wingers

cruised to their second straight Round title in Conference B of 3BL. The undersized Lucknow Ligers were no match for the Wingers anchored by the 7ft tall Amritpal Singh. The Wingers’ 21-10 Finals winning margin was identical to their pool stage victory over the same opponents. In the early goings, Ligers tried to go toe for toe, trailing 6-7. But Wingers’ backup player Gurbaaz Singh Sandhu, who replaced the injured Rajan Sharma in the squad, hit two straight two pointers to put the game out of contention. Thereafter, the international duet of Bhriguvanshi and Amritpal completed the formalities of an easy double digit win. “My team is good. It is not just about me. We have the most experienced Vishesh (Bhriguvanshi) who’s helped me a lot in playing both offense and defence. Our strategy is to play tough, put in the effort and win,” said Amritpal, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) for this Round.

Kochi Stars

clinch women’s Round 2Defending champions Kochi Stars opened their account in 3BL Women’s League, winning their first ‘Round’ title. Under the leadership of national team centre Stephy

Nixon

, Kochi Stars survived a stiff challenge from Pune Panthers. The Panthers were willed to the finals by its young Maharashtrian star Durga Dharmadhikari. However, in the title game, it was Nixon who stamped her class. The much-taller Nixon was unstoppable in the paint. From the get go, Kochi Stars built up a sizeable 14-7 lead. Nixon was well-assisted by guard Divyani Gangwal’s outside shooting and tough layups. Panthers were kept afloat by the tireless Dharmadhikari who was all over the floor despite the searing afternoon heat. Her long two-pointers cut down Kochi’s lead to within four, but in the end, it was a comfortable 19-15 victory for the team from down south. Earlier in the semifinals, Nixon had come through for Kochi to beat Raspreet Sidhu’s Delhi Divas in an exciting 17-15 overtime game.