Karnataka Women and Uttar Pradesh Men stormed into the finals of the 41st Youth National Basketball Championship after registering thrilling victories in their respective semifinal encounters at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune, on Monday.
In the women’s summit clash, a formidable Karnataka outfit will take on the winners of the second semifinal between hosts Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, the men’s final will see Uttar Pradesh clash with either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh.
Karnataka girls overcome a resilient Kerala
The girls’ semifinal witnessed a spectacular second-half turnaround as Karnataka overcame a resilient Kerala squad 55–51. Kerala started clinically, capitalizing on offensive execution through Subhadra Jayakumar and Akshara K to build an early 13-point cushion, taking the first quarter 21–8. Kerala maintained their dominance for nearly 36 minutes of the game, but Karnataka found their shooting rhythm in the second period, enforcing critical defensive stops to level the field 23–23 at halftime.
Maharashtra down Telangana to reach semis; Karnataka, TN and Rajasthan too in last four
The intense see-saw battle continued after the break. Despite Kerala dominating inside the paint with 32 points, Karnataka’s deep bench and lightning transition play kept them within striking distance, trailing 36–39 going into the final stretch. In a high-octane fourth quarter, Karnataka forced crucial turnovers, converting 26 points off Kerala’s errors. Backed by captain Mahek Sharma’s clutch double-double, Karnataka executed a decisive 12–0 scoring run to seize the lead for the final time and seal their victory.
Uttar Pradesh edge Tamil Nadu boys
The boys’ semifinal was an equally breathless affair, with Uttar Pradesh pulling off a sensational fourth-quarter comeback to edge out Tamil Nadu 83-81. Tamil Nadu commanded the early phases, firing an explosive 27-point opening quarter and maintaining a heavy 55-46 rebounding advantage to generate second-chance opportunities.
However, Uttar Pradesh deployed a punishing transition game in the final stretch, outscoring Tamil Nadu 30-22 in the fourth quarter. U.P. weaponised Tamil Nadu’s turnovers into 19 direct points, while bench player Pawan Pachauri provided a massive 15-point cameo to secure the dramatic two-point victory in front of a packed crowd of 300 spectators.
Results (semifinals): Girls: Karnataka 55 (Mahek Sharma 19, HS Shreshta 13, Vibha SM 8) beat Kerala 51 (Subhadra Jayakumar 14, Akshara K 13, Malavika V 8). Boys: Uttar Pradesh 83 (Jatin Sharma 21, Darshil Singh 19, Pawan Pachauri 15) beat Tamil Nadu 81 (Kaushik Raj Singh 26, Sarvesh Raghu 16, Fyodor Athithan P 16).
Quarterfinals: Girls: Maharashtra (Siya Bhonsle 17, Vaishnavi Pardeshi 11, Saisa Bhagat 10, Sharanya Sawant 10) beat Telangana (Saanvi Kolesetty 16) 68-53 (18-11, 21-12, 15-14, 14-16); Tamil Nadu (Nakshatra R 17, M Kaviya 17) beat Chandigarh (Kaumudi Guglani 11) 92-39 (28-10, 19-10, 17-13, 28-6); Karnataka (Mahek Sharma 22, HS Shreshta 15) beat Chhattisgarh (Rumi Konwar 22) 79-55 (17-9, 23-10, 12-15, 27-21). Boys: Rajasthan (Jay Sharma 21) beat Kerala (Joel Jose 21) 86-70 (32-11, 24-22, 11-22, 19-15); Tamil Nadu (Fyodor Athithan 17, Barath Vaj 17) beat Gujarat (Garvitt Grover 15) 93-80 (24-25, 18-19, 18-18, 23-18); Uttar Pradesh (Tejas Baliyan 14, Jatin Sharma 14) beat Chandigarh (Yashender 17) 94-43 (29-8, 23-18, 24-12, 18-5).
