Thinley Namgay
Winning two straight games in the final against Jachungs, Delinquents won the 2021 BoB A League Basketball Tournament held at the Swimming Pool Complex in Thimphu yesterday.
Delinquents defeated Jachungs 93-74 in the second game.
This is the first major win for the Delinquents in the last two appearances in the A League.
The game began with a high note from both the teams. Spectators were of the view that it would take one more day to claim the title by Delinquents.
For instance, in 24th, 48th, and 52nd minutes, Delinquents had difficulty finding the ring. The points were 24-18, 50-44 and 53-53, respectively.
However, in the third quarter, Delinquents dominated the game with more than 10 points. Delinquents players became more vigorous and collaborative.
Jachungs had an opportunity to level up the score. However, they couldn’t capitalise on the chances as the team lost coordination after the third quarter.
The final and semifinals were played on the best of three, where the team has to win two games. In the first final game on July 26, Delinquents won 102-83.
In the semifinals, Delinquents defeated Wizard 2-1, and Jachungs thrashed Zhoems 2-0.
Delinquents was awarded a cash prize of Nu 99,000 and a trophy. Jachungs got a cash prize of Nu 40,000 and a trophy.
The most valuable player of the tournament was Tashi Tendhar of Zhoems.
Delinquents’ skipper, Lhendup Namgyel, said the win was the comeback from the team as they lost in the semifinal in 2019.
Jachungs’ Pema Tshering said that Delinquents were a competent team. “We have tried our best. We will keep playing and come back stronger next season.”
The fifth season of the tournament was organised by the Basketball Federation of Bhutan from June 6.
BoB sponsored the tournament.
Twelve participating teams played without paying entry fees. All the teams are from Thimphu.
Games were conducted behind closed doors adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols.