Kirtipur Basketball Team (KBT) rode on a 21-point and equal contribution with assists and rebounds from Suraj Khadgi to edge Himalayan Hounds in a one-point thriller in their home match of the Basketball League on Sunday.

Khadgi scored two three-pointers and provided five assists as Kirtipur upstaged a 29-point contribution from Bijay Burja to beat Hounds 84-83. KBT opened up the game with a 21-15 lead but Hounds reduced it to two points scoring 22 against the 18 of the hosts. KBT sunk in 23 to stretch the lead to five points and Hounds netted 20. 

With the teams heading into the final quarter in equal terms with the hosts just managing a five-point lead, it was Hounds who controlled the entire last 10 minutes but still fell short. Hounds scored 26 but the 22 points KBT netted proved crucial for victory.

Anil Khadgi had 15 points and nine rebounds for KBT, while Abhishek Singh had 15 points with three assists. Suman Bogati also contributed eight rebounds. Sonam Maharjan sunk in 13 points with six rebounds. Burja rolled in four three-pointers and had five assists. The narrow, however, is still a graceful loss for Hounds in an away game. Saurav Shrestha was the next best performer for Hounds scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds. Manish KC had 12 points.

South Siders Basketball Team will kick off their campaign with an away match against Team Budanilkantha Municipality in Golfutaar, while Tribhuvan Army Club will welcome Golden Gate International College. A total of eight teams are participating in the tournament.