Brighuvanshi, Geetu excel in All-Star event

Mumbai: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi led his team Red West to a 78-67 victory over Blue East in the men`s match of the Mastan YMCA All-Star Basketball weekend here.

In the women`s all-star match, the Blue East team, spearheaded by international Geetu Anna Jose and the trio of Singh sisters from Delhi, prevailed over the Red West team 49-45 in a thrilling encounter that went down to the wire. Earlier, the two refurbished courts were dedicated to the memory of Harish Sharma by the NBA to promote the sport in Mastan YMCA, the cradle of basketball in the city. It was an even contest among the best men`s players in the country, with USA`s Titus Robinson turning out for East and Canadian Jason Faulkner and USA`s Scott Stewart playing for West. It was West who struck the early rhythm, with Bhriguvanshi combining well with Stewart and Faulkner to take the early 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. East slowly made their presence felt With Robinson also finding his scoring touch, along with Anoop and Narender as they went into half time with a sizable 39-27 lead. In the last two quarters, both teams struggled hard for supremacy and it was Bhriguvanshi who sunk the basket in the dying seconds to tie 65-65 at the end of full time. West were unstoppable in extra time, scoring 13 points, while East could only manage 2, giving West a 78-67 victory. Bhriguvanshi with 26 and Robinson with 20 emerged the top scorers for West and East respectively. The winning men`s and women`s teams were richer by Rs 50,000, with the runner-up teams gaining Rs 25,000. Brighuvanshi and Anitha were adjudged the best players among the men and women respectively, winning cash awards of Rs 10,000 each, while each player was also gifted with the latest HCL Tablet. PTI