Hyderabad Sky huffed and puffed but failed to enter the semfinals of the third season of the UBA Pro Basketball League.
For the second game running, the Hyderabad side were beaten by hosts Pune Peshwas except this time, the 94-101 defeat sent them tumbling out of contention for the South Division final which also serves as the League semifinal.
The home side showed tremendous team spirit during their fourth consecutive 100-point showing. The Peshwas will next face Chennai Slam in the semifinals. The Peshwas rallied back strongly after falling behind in the first quarter.
Narender was the top-scorer for the winning side with 26 points while Shinde was the player of the match, having come up with another top-class performance.
Hyderabad Sky’s Mahesh scored 34 points but his efforts went in vain.
Hyderabad Sky were quick off the blocks, racing to a 10-point lead going into the first timeout, with the score reading 15-5.
The Sky finished the first quarter with a healthy seven-point lead, 22-15, but the Pune Peshwas were beginning to show signs of getting their act together.
In the second quarter, the home team turned the game around in style thanks to Narender, who pocketed 17 points and was ably supported by Shinde and Mane.
The hosts took the lead for the first time, leading 45-42 at the halfway point in the game.
The third period of play was a slightly more cagey affair with neither the Peshwas nor Hyderabad being able to fully capitalise on the momentum they had built over the previous two quarters.
Mahesh and Thomas were the most active players in the third quarter with the latter chipping in with a couple of vital blocks. Pune Peshwas, however, managed to keep their lead intact and finished the quarter 73-68.
The final quarter was when the Pune side shone brightest, scoring points with ease to run away to a comfortable win.
