In Tuesday’s exciting fixtures of the Himalayan Java Basketball League (HJBL) 2025, table-toppers Hounds Academy and Times Basketball Club registered convincing victories at the Kirtipur Covered Hall.
In the day’s first game, Hounds Academy secured a strong 80-69 win over home team Kirtipur Basketball Club, thanks to a stellar performance from Vijay Burja, who scored a match-high 34 points and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Hounds started strong and took control early in the match. They led 25-23 in the first quarter, followed by dominant performances in the second (21-9) and third (20-11) quarters. By the end of the third, Hounds had built a significant 68-43 lead. Although Kirtipur made a late push by taking the fourth quarter 25-14, it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit.
For Kirtipur, Nischal Maharjan stood out with 23 points, but his effort couldn’t prevent their third defeat in the tournament.
With this win, Hounds remain at the top of the standings with 9 points from 5 games, while Kirtipur sit on 7 points from 5 games after their third loss.
Times Basketball Club bounce back to crush Samakhushi
In the second match of the day, Times Basketball Club defeated Samakhushi Youth Club with a final score of 84-69, claiming their third victory of the season.
Samakhushi had a strong start, leading 18-13 after the first quarter. However, Times quickly turned things around by winning the second (27-21) and third quarters (27-12), establishing a 67-51 lead before the final quarter. Although Samakhushi took the last quarter 18-17, Times held on to win comfortably.
Manish KC led the scoring for Times with 20 points and was named the MVP of the match. On the other side, Bikram Dangol also scored 20 points for Samakhushi.
Following this win, Times climbed to second place on the points table with 8 points from 5 games, right behind Hounds. Meanwhile, Samakhushi continue their winless run, suffering their fifth consecutive loss. Despite the defeat, they earned 1 point, keeping them at the bottom of the standings with 5 points from 5 matches.
HJBL 2025: Updated Standings (Top 4)
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hounds Academy | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | Times Basketball Club | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Kirtipur Club | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | Samakhushi Youth | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Stay tuned for more updates from HJBL 2025 as the tournament heats up with thrilling performances and rising stars!
