LAHORE: Wapda defeated favourites Pakistan Army in a nail-biting final of the National Men’s Basketball Championships here at the Government College, University on Friday.

Wapda won 73-70 in the thrilling decider which saw several ups and downs to the delight of a sizeable crowd.

Wapda held a narrow 41-36 lead at half-time.

After Wapda won the first quarter 22-16, Army made a good comeback in the second to claim 25 points while conceding 14.

After the interval, Wapda maintained their lead and ended the third quarter with a slim 60-55 lead before wrapping up the final fourth quarter and with it the title.

Zainul Hassan, Wapda’s mainstay, remained outstanding with 28 points.

Besides Zain, Mohammad Usman (14) and Zahid Arif (13) were the other notable contributors. For Army, Tughlab Ammar (24), Shoaib Aslam (19) and Sheraz Aslam (12) fared well.

Earlier, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) claimed the third place after beating Lahore Division 90-61.

Mohammad Akhtar (24), Ahmed Jan (22) and Umair Jan (11) were the main scorers for PAF while Saboor Mehdi (20), Ahmed Abbas (12) and Salman Rafiq (10) stood out for Lahore.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2023