Crowds that gathered at the stadium on a humid Sunday afternoon were kept glued to their seats by an excellent display by the policemen.

CMP started well but KSP’s no-hassle approach and accurate shooting paved way for their third win in the league.

CMP moved the ball around really well but they lacked in finishing. KSP, on the other hand, relied heavily on their shooting guards  -- Laxman Gasti (12), Mahesh (18) and Santhosh (7) -- who nailed down three-pointers from well outside to give them a 19-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. CMP got a hold on things early in the second quarter with the entry of their small forward Arun Kumar (18).

His agile drive-ins and near dunk finishes had the KSP in a spot of bother but coach Venkatesh refused to change the defence-offence pattern and much to his comfort the ploy worked as his side extended its lead to 40-25 at half-time.

After the break, Kabilan (9) stepped up his scoring rate for CMP and Arun continued to make a difference but it was Mahesh who dominated the court. sMahesh, who relied on three-pointers in the first-half, started to drive in and create chances for his forwards who did a great job under the board to give KSP a 66-39 lead. CMP’s trump card Arun, who had been warned by referee Thayagarajan for disputing a call at the end of the third quarter, was out of the game with five fouls and with his exit, CMP were reduced to mere spectators as KSP romped home.

In another match, Vijaya Bank posted a comfortable 49-32 win over Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club.


Results: KSP: 88 (Mahesh 18, Ramakrishna 15) bt CMP: 50 (Arun Kumar 18, Kabilan 9). HT: 40-25; MEG: 66 (Sirjauddin 12, Rayar 15) bt Young Orions Sport Club: 33 (Anirudh 8, Abhishek 5). HT: 33-14; JSC: 64 (R Kaushal 28, Minal 14) bt Ambedkar Ssport Club: 48 (Adeel Anees 13, Karan 9). HT 28-23; ASC: 59 (Jayaranagan 15, Vellaiapan 15) bt Sports Hostel: 36 (Rabbani 11, Jairaj 12). HT: 34-24; Vijaya Bank: 49 (Sanjay Raj 13. Roshan 12) bt HASC: 32 (Ismail 13, Sachindra 9). HT: 29-16.