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After defending champs Tamil Nadu girls booked a date in the final to face Chhattisgarh, it was the boys’ turn to repeat last year’s performance and make the final again. Standing in their way was the Haryana boys’ side, who came off a thrilling extra time victory against Uttar Pradesh yesterday in their quarterfinal match.
Tamil Nadu started the game well with a strong first quarter, outscoring Haryana 23 to 13. Captain and last year’s MVP P. Baladhaneshwar continued his form into this game, leading from the front for his team. He was ably assisted by teammate G.K. Manikandan on offense. The first half belonged to Tamil Nadu, ending 41-24 in their favour. In the second half, Haryana tried to push for a comeback. Led by Rinku, they managed to cut down the lead to below 15. But in the end, it was too little too late, as Tamil Nadu held on to a 10-point lead to clinch the 72-62 victory and make it to their second final in two years at the Youth National Basketball Championship.
In the other boys’ semi-final, Delhi faced Punjab in a clash of north Indian basketball powerhouses. Delhi came off a close 1-point victory against Kerala in their quarterfinal, while Punjab dominated against Chhattisgarh in their quarterfinal. However, in this game, Delhi was the dominant team. Delhi built a 20-point lead in the first quarter that ended 24 to 4. For the next 3 quarters, it was all about whether Punjab could make a comeback. But they dug themselves too big a hole at the start of the game. Delhi was led by Manik’s 21 points and Hansraj’s 19 points. Punjab’s Abhi Kumar fought valiantly with 22 points, but his effort went in vain. Delhi now will face defending champs Tamil Nadu in the final.
The girls’ third place match was between Maharashtra and Punjab. The Maharashtra girls relied on their India campers Rutuja Pawar, Neha Shahu and Shruti Sherigar to steer them to the victory. Balanced scoring effort from their top players and a strong second half helped Maharashtra clinch the bronze medal at the 32nd Youth National Basketball Championship. For Punjab, Sakshi Sharma was the top scorer with 14 points.
Results from Day 6 up to 5:00 p.m.
Boys’ semi-finals:
Tamil Nadu (P. Baladhaneshwar 23, G.K. Manikandan 20, C. Joshua 15) bt Haryana (Rinku 22, Akshay 13, Ankit Joshi 10) 72-62 (23-13, 18-11, 11-10, 20-28)
Delhi (Manik 21, Hansraj 19, Sourav 17) bt Punjab (Abhi Kumar 22, Swapnil Sharma 8) 67-47 (24-4, 10-17, 18-10, 15-16)
Girls third place:
Maharashtra (Rutuja Pawar 17, Neha Vinod Shahu 14, Shruti Sherigar 13) bt Punjab (Sakshi Sharma 14, Lovepreet Kaur 10)51-42 (11-9, 6-11, 15-10, 19-12)
