In a thriller, Birla Blazers edge Charminar Chargers 34-33 to win sub-junior title

Birla girls ended the tournament in a blaze of glory as they pulled off a thrilling one-point win over Charminar Chargers in the Sub-Junior girls’ final of the Sub-Junior & Youth League 2026 for boys & girls conducted by The Hyderabad District Basketball Association at the YMCA Secunderabad on Wednesday evening.

Birla Blazers, who cruised along nicely till the half-time, had a handy 22-8 lead in their favour before Charminar girls charged at them headlong and almost upset the applecart. In the end it proved a heartbreak for the Charminar Chargers as they were edged out 34-33 to the utter glee of the rival camp.

The match began on a slow and cautious tone, and one would not have imaged that it would turn out to be such a thrilling encounter. It was a fantastic show by the young teenagers of both teams as they put up a tremendous performance in front of a captive audience.

With a lot at stake in the final, the players were more than cautious and the strategy revolved around defending their citadels. Hence, there were not too many attempts at scoring baskets.

The first quarter was a low scoring one was the teams tested each other’s patience. Tanvi of Birla Blazers used her height to good effect and scored four points, but Anika’s free throw helped Charminar Chargers to take a morale-boosting 6-5 lead by the end of the dull first quarter.

Birla Blazers take handy lead

Stunned by the reversal, Birla Blazers changed their strategy and began to go on the offence. In what turned out to be a fast-paced quarter, Birla Blazers got 17 points in it, while restricting the hapless Charminar Chargers to a mere two points.

Dishi of Birla Blazers scored 21 points to lead her side to victory over Charminar Chargers

Dishi was the star performer as she scored at will. The Charminar Chargers’ defence was shred into pieces by her as she scored 11 of the 17 points. She was well supported by Yagna and Mithanya as Birla Blazers went into the break with the scoreline reading 22-8.

The lemon break gave the jaded Charminar Chargers the much-needed energy boost. A rejuvenated Charminar Chargers put up an electrifying display which nearly electrocuted Birla Blazers.

Saanvika turned on the screws on Birla Blazers as she scored 12 points with two 3-pointers. Charminar Chargers got 16 points in the third quarter and kept the Birla Blazers to just two points. By the end of the quarter, Charminar Chargers were able to bridge the gap to just two points as Birla Blazers led 26-24.

Knowing that there was not much time left for them, the teams went neck-and-neck in the fourth quarter. They kept at each other’s heel as the drama heightened to a crescendo. With every ticking minute, the action on the court became frenzied.

Charminar meet Birla in girls’ final; Golconda take on Secunderabad in sub-junior boys’ final

With just 40 seconds left for the match, the scores were level a 30-30. Dishi of Birla Blazers chose this juncture to steal the limelight. She scored two consecutive baskets through drive in to help Birla Blazers take a vital 34-30 lead.

With a four-point lead and just seconds left on the clock, one presumed that the contest was over, but Saanvika was not going to go down without a fight. With just 10 seconds left, she scored a 3-pointer to bridge the gap to just one point. But Birla Blazers controlled the ball for the remaining seconds to pull off a thrilling 34-33 victory.

Gladiators, Chargers in Youth boys’ semis

In the Youth (Under-16) boys’ quarterfinals on Tuesday night, Golconda Gladiators defeated Keesara Kings 42-33 and Charminar Chargers thrashed Tank Bund Titans 32-13 to reach the semifinals.

Golconda Gladiators will take on Birla Blazers and Charminar Chargers will be up against Secunderabad Stallions in the last four clash.

Results: Sub-Junior girls final: Birla Blazers 34 (Dishi 21, Yagna 6, Tanvi 4, Mithanya 2) beat Charminar Chargers 33 (Saanvika 17, Anika 8) Half-time: 22-8.

Youth boys: Golconda Gladiators 42 (Akshith 12, Praneeth 8, Shried 8, Prajwal 7) beat Keesara Kings 33 (Havish 6, Satwik 6, Alex 4, Rohit 4) Half-time: 23-9.

Charminar Chargers 32 (Joshua 14, Ridhyansh 4) beat Tank Bund Titans 13 (Vedanga 7, Aadeesh 4) Half-time: 15-4.