PBV2 Rainbow Travel have taken out the inaugural BFPNG Hoops for Health (H4H) Mixed Corporate-Social Basketball competition, following their 64-55 victory over Ink Shoppe at the Taurama Aquatic & Indoor Centre last night.

The championship decider provided spectators with plenty of highlights.  It was a seesawing affair, with both teams taking control of the lead on multiple occasions. Neither side however, were successful in their attempts to break the game open.

Rodel Verdart was in fine shooting form for Ink Shoppe. At one stage the silky-smooth guard connected on five consecutive long-range, three-point attempts. His game-high 30-points was an outstanding individual effort, although not enough to get his side over the line.

PBV2 Rainbow Travel were paced in scoring by Gerry Suve, who finished with 20-points, while his teammate Michael Henry chipped in with 13-points of his own.

In the playoff for third place, Titans B were too good for the High Performance Laumas, taking home the bronze with a 55-48 victory.

BFPNG Chief Executive Officer Joel Khalu said the close results in last night’s games made it an exciting finish to a successful first season.

“It was great to see many of these final matchups go down to the wire,” Khalu said.

“The Grand Final could have definitely gone either way and in the end, I think the Ink Shoppe players simply ran out of legs.”

“Full credit must go to PBV2 Rainbow Travel though. They’ve been the standout side all season long and their undefeated run is a reflection of how good they are.”

Khalu said that BFPNG had already started plans for next year’s H4H mixed competition, sighting that there would most likely be two separate divisions.

“One thing we found with our 2016 league is that we have two types of teams. Firstly, those that are purely social and secondly others that are a bit more competitive.”

“We’ll split teams into social and serious divisions next year, just to ensure the competition remains as even and enjoyable as possible,” Khalu added.

The BFPNG Mixed Corporate-Social Competition is a Hoops for Health initiative made possible through the support of FIBA’s foundation, the International Basketball Foundation (IBF) and funding through the Australian Government’s Pacific Sports Partnership program.

For more information please contact BFPNG Chief Executive Officer Joel Khalu on khalujoel@gmail.com.