MSSA: Vibgyor, Bosco win titles

Vibgyor High girls. Pictures courtesy/Atul Kamble

Vibgyor High (Goregaon) and Don Bosco (Matunga) emerged the girls' and boys' U-16 champions respectively in the MSSA inter-school basketball tournament at Azad Maidan on Thursday.

The Goregaon girls, boosted by the presence of skipper and playmaker Richa Ravi and rebounder Kaitlyn Machado, proved to be too strong for defending champions St
Anthony's (Chembur) and charged to an authoritative 40-23 victory in the summit clash.

Richa, Kaitlyn shine

Richa and Kaitlyn had missed last year's final as they were away with the Maharashtra sub-junior team for the National championships. Vibgyor had lost to St Anthony's by a mere four points in the final then.

However, this time, they set the record straight as Richa, with 13 points, and Kaitlyn Machado with eight, scripted a fine win. Teammate Joann Jose also contributed a significant nine points.

Later, Don Bosco (Matunga) put up a gallant performance, staging a remarkable fight back to quash the aspirations of Jamnabai Narsee International (Vile Parle) with a hard-fought 32-28 win in an exciting boys' final.

Slow start for Bosco

Don Bosco boys

The Matunga lads were slow to get off the blocks and trailed 3-13 in the first quarter, but then came back strongly in the second to close the difference to 16-18 at the break.

Jamnabai held on to a narrow 21-20 lead in the third quarter but then succumbed to the relentless pressure from the Matunga lads. Don Bosco scored 11 points in the last period against Jamnabai's six.

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