Defending champs Tamil Nadu retain girls’ title, Rajasthan boys dethrone Uttar Pradesh

Defending champions Tamil Nadu girls retained their title, while Rajasthan boys emerged champions in the boys’ section at the 51st Sub-Junior National Basketball Championship (boys & girls) at the Maris Stella College Indoor Stadium, RTC Colony, Vijayawada, on Sunday.

The girls’ final turned out to be an evenly contested battle till at least the half-time. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra matched each other basket for basket and kept pace. There was not much to separate either side, but Tamil Nadu girls managed to take a two-point lead at the break. Tamil Nadu led 33-31.

However, in the second half, Tamil Nadu pulled away with their hoopsters scoring 32 points while restricting Maharashtra to 24 points. Tamil Nadu won 65-55. Dhanya topscored for Tamil Nadu with 19 points while V Anshika got 13 against her name. For Maharashtra Maitri Sha scored 13 points.

Rajasthan boys dethroned Uttar Pradesh in the boys’ section with consummate ease. Rajasthan, who have been dominating right through the tournament, were once again in their elements as they toyed with the Uttar Pradesh defense and scored at will. By half-time, Rajasthan had taken a comfortable 44-25 lead.

Rajasthan boys defeated Uttar Pradesh 77-56 in the final of the 51st Sub-Junior National Basketball Championship (boys & girls) at the Maris Stella College Indoor Stadium, RTC Colony, Vijayawada, on Sunday

Things were no different in the second half as Rajasthan boys continued to call the shots against Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan scored a 77-56 win to emerge champions. Robin Dhanka topscored for Rajasthan with 19 points, while Daksh Choudhary got 18 points. Sahil Kumar was the top scorer with 22 points for Uttar Pradesh and Vansh Tomar got 10 points.

Dhanya of Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan’s Rajat Vyas named MVP

Dhanya M of Tamil Nadu was adjudged the Most Valuable Player in the girls’ division, while Rajat Vyas of Rajasthan bagged that honour in the boys’ category.

Anshika of Tamil Nadu and Viraj Bhanage of Maharashtra were named the Player of the Finals in the girls’ section. Rajasthan’s Ronit Dhanka and Sahil Kumar of Uttar Pradesh won the Player of the Finals awards in the boys’ section.

The tournament offered substantial financial rewards to encourage youth development, with the gold, silver, and bronze winning teams receiving cash prizes of ₹3,00,000, ₹2,00,000, and ₹1,00,000 respectively.

Maharashtra girls take on Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh boys meet Rajasthan in finals

The Most Valuable Players earned ₹50,000 each, while the Best Three-point Shooters got ₹25,000 each.

The high-profile, eight-day national tournament brought together top youth teams representing 28 states from across India. The event was jointly organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), the Basketball Association in Andhra Pradesh, and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP).

The closing ceremony featured a stellar lineup of guests who motivated the young athletes. Among the guests were Amalapuram MP GM Harish Balayogi, former Telangana minister Allola Indra Karan Reddy, NTR District collector Dr G Lakshmisha, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh VC & MD S Bharani, Commissioner of Income Tax, AP, Soumya Mishra, Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner HM Dhyana Chandra, special invitees Kulwinder, Chanderpal, and Chakramanthy.

Match officials of the 51st Sub-Junior National Basketball Championship (boys & girls) 

The local organizing committee, represented by M Revathi, G Subhash Chandra Bose, and V Raj Kumar, extended a warm vote of thanks to the participating state contingents, technical officials, and the local sports enthusiasts who packed the indoor stadium daily.

Results (finals): Girls: Tamil Nadu 65 (Dhanya M 19, V Anshika 13) beat Maharashtra 55 (Maitri Sha 13).

Boys: Rajasthan 77 (Robin Dhanka 19, Daksh Choudhary 18) beat Uttar Pradesh 56 (Sahil Kumar 22, Vansh Tomar 10).

Third place playoff: Girls: Uttar Pradesh 65 (Angel Malik 25, Tejasvi Karhana 9) beat Karnataka 49 (Aarushi Ananth 16, Devishi Jha 11).

Boys: Haryana 60 (Harsh Rathee 16, Keshav Kaushik 11) beat    Maharashtra 54 (Mayank Sharma 11, Aarush Tomar 11).

Best 3-Point Shooters: Girls: Netra Damke (Maharashtra). Boys: Sharad Kumar (Uttar Pradesh).

Most Valuable Players (MVP): Girls: Dhanya M (Tamil Nadu). Boys: Rajat Vyas (Rajasthan).

Players of the Final: Girls: Anshika (Tamil Nadu) and Viraj Bhanage (Maharashtra). Boys: Ronit Dhanka (Rajasthan) and Sahil Kumar (Uttar Pradesh).