WAPDA set a final showdown with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in the 50th Men’s National Basketball Championship here at the Hamidi Hall of the Pakistan Sports Complex.
In the semi-finals, WAPDA had to face a stiff challenge from Railways to register a narrow 57-54 victory, while Pakistan Air Force defeated the Higher Education Commission in a commanding 71-35 triumph. In a first match, Railways provided WAPDA with a real challenge. Railways had a one-point (54-53) lead and ball in a hand with 50 seconds left before the final whistle, However, they failed to capitalise on the possession, while Jahangir Ahmed found the basket twice in that period to put WAPDA ahead by leading 57-54. Railways also missed a couple of attempts from outside the arc to lose by a small margin. Veteran player Jahangir Khan was the highest scorer for WAPDA with 12 points, while Falak Sher and Haris Kamal added 11 and eight points respectively. Rawalpindi-based Azhar Qayyum contributed 17 points for Railways, while Mohammad Shan (13) and Allah Baksh (10) also had a good game. In another match, PAF were on top of their game and outplayed HEC in all departments. Mohammad Akhtar was PAF’s top performer with 19 points. Tanvir Ali and Ahmed Jan also had an equally good game for their 15 and 11 points respectively. Zahid Arif (10) and Mohammad Naveed (8) were the prominent players for HEC.
