Golconda Gladiators tame Secunderabad Stallions 60-57 to win Sub Junior boys’ final

A day after Birla Blazers’ girls had pulled off a one-point win over Charminar Chargers, Golconda Gladiators and Secunderabad Stallions staged a thrilling contest in the Sub Junior boys’ final of the Sub-Junior & Youth League 2026 for boys & girls conducted by The Hyderabad District Basketball Association at the YMCA Secunderabad on Thursday evening.

In a see-saw battle where the lead changed hands many a times, Golconda Galdiators edged past Secunderabad Stallions 60-57 in a final which saw a commendable performance from both sides. The final was not short of thrills and frills as the young boys showcased their ball skills to the delight of the spectators.

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

In the first quarter, Secunderabad Stallions started well with Karthik doing the bulk of the scoring. Not to be outdone, Sai Saketh and Yashmith turned on the show for Golconda Gladiators. However, it was Manideep’s 3-pointer which helped Golconda Gladiators end the quarter with a three-point lead (17-14).

Buoyed by the handy lead, Golconda Gladiators turned up the ante in the second quarter. Ansh, in particular, proved quite a handful for the Secunderabad Stallions defence. Ansh scored 14 of the 16 points got by Golconda Gladiators in this quarter. On the other hand, Vasist of Secunderabad Stallions tanked two 3-pointers and Manvith scored mainly through drive-in shots as Secunderabad Stallions got 12 points in the quarter to remain within striking distance of their rivals.

Golconda Gladiators went into the break with a comfortable 33-26 verdict in their favour.

Secunderabad Stallions with chief guest Deepak John, chairman. Minority Finance Corporation and other dignitaries

After the lemon break, Secunderabad Stallions tightened their defense to restrict Golconda Gladiators to just eight points. Stallions also turned on the aggression as they scored 13 points with Karthik scoring 11 consecutive points. Karthik ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Secunderabad Stallions had come within reach of striking their rivals. At the end of the penultimate quarter, Secunderabad Stallions were trailing by just two points (39-41).

It all now boiled down to the final quarter, and it turned out to be quite a heady contest. The lead kept changing sides as both teams went on the aggression with a fast-paced game.

Secunderabad Stallions relied on Karthik to do the bulk of the scoring, whereas Golconda Gladiators’ Manideep and Rahman scored three 3-pointers between them to increase the lead. With just two minutes left for the match, the scores were level at 55-55.

A chastened Golconda Gladiators tightened their defense on Karthik and that affected his scoring ability. That proved to be the turning point of the game as Secunderabad Stallion had no one else to counter the Golconda Gladiators’ strategy.

Golconda Gladiators’ Manideep scored through a drive-in and closed the match with a 3-pointer to win the fine 60-57.

Deepak John, chairman, Minority Finance Corporation, and District Congress Committee president, Secunderabad, and other dignataries distributed the medals, certificates & trophy to the teams.

Gladiators vs Stallions in Youth boys’ final

On Wednesday late evening matches in the Youth (Under-16) boys semifinal matches, Golconda Gladiators defeated Birla Blazers 53-46 while Secunderabad Stallions got the better of Charminar Chargers 78-59 to set up a final clash.

The Golconda Gladiators vs Birla Blazers game was a keenly contested one till the half-time. Both sides fought tooth-and-nail for supremacy, but they had to go into the lemon break level at 25-25.

After the break, Golconda Gladiators took charge of the proceedings and reeled off 28 points while restricting Birla Blazers to 21 points.

In the other semfinal, Charminar Chargers kept pace with Secunderabad Stallions till the half-time. Secunderabad Stallions went into the break with a narrow two-point lead (35-33).

However, after the break, Secunderabad Stallions played at a galloping pace to completely overshadow their rivals. Eventually, they ran away with the game.

Results: Sub Junior boys’ final: Golconda Gladiators 60 (Ansh 16, Manideep 16, Itihaas 10) beat Secunderabad Stallions 57 (Karthik 26, Vasist 8, Manvith 4) HT: 33-26.

Youth boys’ semifinals:  Golconda Gladiators 53 (Prajwal 15, Akshith 13, Praneeth 11, Shrien 9) beat Birla Blazers 46 (Krishna 16, Manas 7, Chaitresh 7, Ruthvik 6) HT: 25-25.

Secunderabad Stallions 78 (Amshul 23, Sai Charan 18, Aswith 12) beat Charminar Chargers 59 (Naga 17, Rithvik 11, Alex 9) HT: 35-33.