Youth Nationals: Chhattisgarh Girls upset Maharashtra; MP Boys stroll unbeaten into Finals

The excitement and energy was at fever pitch as the 28^th Youth National Basketball Championship for Boys & Girls at Nagpur (Maharashtra) reached the Semi-Final stage. The best under-16 players in India came out to display their skills, and the show was stolen by a resurgent Chhattisgarh Girls side who made a brave comeback and silenced the home crowd with a huge upset win.

Chattisgarh Girls, who had a rocky start in Nagpur, finally began to piece things together as the tournament progressed. The hurdle on their side was trying to incorporate newcomer Poonam Chaturvedi into their side. At 6 foot 6 inches, Chaturvedi is the tallest female basketball player in India – but because of her raw skills and slow movement she initially hindered Chhattisgarh’s quick offense. But her size and post scoring were good enough to help her team get into the final four.

The Semi-Final against hosts Maharashtra was a story of both sides of the giant young girl: in the first she struggled, and Maharashtra took advantage, but her size proved fruitful in the second half as Chhattisgarh made their big comeback. In a scrappy, defensive first half, Maharashtra dominated behind superstar Shireen Limaye, Shruti Menon, and rode the cheers of a huge home support. They held on to a 9-point lead at halftime and were looking comfortable to progress into the finals.

But Chhattisgarh began to make a comeback in the second – Anjan Dasy scored in bunches and Sangeeta Das also got crucial buckets for her side. With Shireen in foul trouble and nursing a slight injury, the momentum shifted towards the visitors. The fourth-quarter featured breathtaking back and forth action between the two teams as they stayed close. With Poonam’s effectiveness on both ends of the floor leading the way, Chhattisgarh hit key baskets in the last minute to reverse a Maharashtra lead and win the game by 3, 62-59.

Anjan led Chhattisgarh with a game-high 27 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds. Shruti Menon had 20 points and 9 rebounds for Maharashtra and Shireen Limaye added 19.

In the earlier Semi-Final, Madhya Pradesh quietly dominated another opponent. Chhattisgarh Boys did not have the same luck as their eves, as they fell to their geographical neighbours MP. The game was close for the first half, but Chhattisgarh began to miss several key shots in the third quarter and MP took advantage. MP continued their unbeaten streak, winning the sixth straight game to enter the Final, 72-61.

Semi-Final Scores

Boys: Madhya Pradesh (Subham Mishra 21, Abdul Rahim Khan 21, Syed Anam Ali 14) bt. Chhattisgarh (Akash Basin 17, Saif Hashmi 16, Tarender Kumar 15) 71-62 (20-18, 15-15, 19-12, 17-17)

Boys: Maharashtra-59, Delhi- 84

Girls: Chhattisgarh (Anjan Dasy 27, Sangeeta Das 15, Poonam Chaturvedi 12) bt. Maharashtra (Shruti Menon 20, Shireen Limaye 19, Kritika Divadkar 13) 62-59 (10-17, 14-16, 24-14, 14-12)

Girls: Kerala (KS Poojamol 29, Prami P Lal 11) bt Haryana (Bharti Sihag 14, Rimpy Hooda 10) 63-44 (17-11, 15-11, 16-13, 15-8)

Final Fixtures

Girls: Chhattisgarh vs. Kerala

Boys: Madhya Pradesh vs. Delhi