Kingston basketball caps a memorable year with Varsity triumph

Kingston men’s basketball team have ended a memorable year with a stunning Varsity win over their rivals Surrey.

Konstantinos Lianos

An unforgettable performance by Andrej Purkevic and two last minute free throws by captain Alex Geromoschos sealed Kingston’s overtime triumph 90-87.

Purkevic bid Kingston University farewell with a man of the match performance of 23 points and 13 rebounds that gave the Cougars a hard fought victory in a nail-biter that could have gone either way.

He said: “That’s the best way to leave. I spent three beautiful years of basketball with these great guys.”

A bright start

Jamie Sercombe, who scored 24 points, gave Kingston an early lead but Surrey managed to finish the first period on top after a lot of mistakes from Kingston’s attack.

Thanks to an amazing second period performances from Sam Odembigi and Joe Taylor, the Cougars managed to end the half leading 38-43.

The third quarter went back and forth but Kingston managed to finish it on top. The last quarter saw Surrey’s Emelie Oranika and captain Marcis Vidass start to find their form and score some points.

Dramatic win for Kingston

A rowdy crowd from both sides at Surrey Sports Park motivated the players. An amazing block by Purkevic on Vidass and a late free-throw by Geromoschos took the game to overtime at 77-77.

Both teams refused to give up but thanks to great teamwork, Kingston celebrated a dramatic win.

Geromoschos said: “It was great winning this crucial game in Varsity.”