#12: 43rd Arise Steel Sub-Junior Nationals 2016 –Chhattisgarh girls repeat while BFI-MP boys three-peat as champs
Hyderabad, 7th October 2016: The finals of the 43rd Arise Steel Sub-Junior National Basketball Championship 2016 concluded a short while ago at the SATS Indoor Stadium, Saroornagar in the city.
Chhattisgarh girls and BFI-Madhya Pradesh* defended their titles from last year, beating Kerala and Rajasthan respectively.
Mr P Niranjan Reddy, Vice Chairman, Telangana Government Planning Commission distributed the winning boys’ medals and trophy. Mr Aadhav Arjuna, Managing Director of Arise Steel Industries, the title sponsors of this championship, was the special guest for the second day running. Also seen distributing the trophies and medals were Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary-General of Basketball Federation of India, Mr M Rajender Reddy, President, Telangana Basketball Association, Mr R Sridhar Reddy, President, Organising Committee (& also President of the Hyderabad District Basketball Association) and other dignitaries.
Chhattisgarh girls bt Kerala 57-48
The winners of the last two sub-junior national championships, Kerala girls and defending champions Chhattisgarh squared off in the final today morning. The game lived up to its billing with both teams sticking close to each other till the final minutes. Chhattisgarh followed their game plan of ball movement and finding the open man against Kerala’s zone defence. Kerala’s go-to player, centre Ann Mary Zachariah, struggled in the early going being unable to knock down freethrows. She was frequently double-teamed which opened up the lane for her teammate, Aleena Antony, who kept making tough layups to keep her side within a couple of possessions of Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh, however, went on an 8-3 run to close the first half and held a 37 to 31 lead entering the third quarter. Kerala’s Ann Mary found her touch in the third quarter, creating second chance opportunities for her team. But Chhattisgarh still held the advantage entering the fourth period leading by 3 points.
In the final quarter, Chhattisgarh were the more accurate team from the field and found easy scoring opportunities in transition. Kirti (20 points) and Urvashi Baghel (16 points) led the way for their team as Chhattisgarh pulled away from Kerala in the final minutes. Coach Rajesh Patel guided his team admirably in this game resulting in a 57-48 win and a repeat championship run.
“This is my 100th medal at the national level,” an ecstatic Chhattisgarh Head Coach Rajesh Patel said post the win.
BFI-MP* bt Rajasthan 69-66
Defending champions BFI-Madhya Pradesh* boys were gunning for a three-peat as they entered their final against Rajasthan. Both teams were unbeaten so far in the tournament. The game began slowly with the teams feeling each other out in the first quarter. Rajasthan managed to put up only 6 points in the first period, but went on a scoring run in the second taking full advantage and poured in 37 points in the second quarter. Rajasthan regained the lead with the halftime score at 43 to 31.
In the second half BFI-Madhya Pradesh* showcased their quality offense, led by big man Virat Dhakad (19 points). Both teams followed a run-and-gun style of play, but BFI-MP* had more accuracy from the field in the second period and pulled their way back into the contest.
Leading by one point entering the fourth period, BFI-MP* kept their poise and held off a furious Rajasthan comeback attempt. Rajasthan’s most consistent player in the tournament, Mahaveer Banjara, led the way for his team once again with 29 points. But it wasn’t enough, as BFI-MP* pulled off a 3-point victory and were crowned 3-time champions.
Final Standings
Girls
|
Boys
|
1. Chhattisgarh
|
1. BFI-Madhya Pradesh
|
2. Kerala
|
2. Rajasthan
|
3. Tamil Nadu
|
3. Haryana
|
4. Maharashtra
|
4. Andhra Pradesh
|
5. Rajasthan
|
5. Telangana
|
6. Uttar Pradesh
|
6. Chhattisgarh
|
7. Karnataka
|
7. Uttar Pradesh
|
8. BFI-Madhya Pradesh*
|
8. Punjab
|
9. Delhi
|
9. Maharashtra
|
10. Punjab
|
10. Odisha
|
RESULTS FROM Day 7 (7th October 2016)
Girls:
Finals
1. Chhattisgarh (Kirti 20, Urvashi Baghel 16) bt Kerala (Ann Mary Zachariah 19, Aleena Antony 8) 57-48 (18-16, 19-15, 8-11, 12-6)
3-4 Classification Match
1. Tamil Nadu (Nitika A 19, Sathya K 19, Sree Varshini J 18) bt Maharashtra (Siya Deodhar 18, Chaitaali Bafna 14) 70-50 (16-14, 14-7, 27-16, 13-13)
Boys:
Level 1
Finals
1. BFI-Madhya Pradesh (Virat Dhakad 19, Aman Negi 13) bt Rajasthan (Mahaveer Banjara 29, Kamal Singh 10) 69-66 (14-6, 17-37, 24-11, 14-12)
3-4 Classification Match
1. Haryana (Gourav 19, Depender 11, Sahil 11, Vikas 10) bt Andhra Pradesh (Shaik Ahmed 12, Nayeem Pranav 8) 73-42 (17-6, 25-10, 12-19, 19-7)
*BFI-MP is an independent team comprising players from across Madhya Pradesh who were given one time approval to participate in this event.
About the Sub-Junior Nationals
The Sports Authority of Telangana (SATS) Indoor Stadium in Saroornagar, Hyderabad will play host to the 43rd Sub-Junior National Championship 2016. The tournament is being held from 1st to 7th October 2016, organised by the Hyderabad District Basketball Association under the auspices of Telangana State Basketball Association (TBA) and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).
The Sub-junior or ‘mini’ nationals is annually held for boys and girls of the age 13 or younger and is the premier national level tournament at this entry level age group. As many as 22 matches per day will be played on a league cum knockout basis inside the two indoor courts within the stadium complex with 27 boys’ teams and 24 girls’ teams participating.
National level basketball is returning to the city of Hyderabad for the first time in 13 years, after the 2003 Senior National Basketball Championship. In fact, the last time a national level tournament was held in unified Andhra Pradesh was the junior national championship in Anantapur back in 2007.
BFI-Madhya Pradesh is the two time defending champions in the boys section while Chhattisgarh is the defending champion in the girls section from the 42nd edition held in Puducherry earlier this February. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana teams had finished 5th and 10th in the boys and girls sections respectively.
About Basketball Federation of India
The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks. More information at www.basketballfederationindia.
For media queries please contact:
Norman Isaac (+91 8790188844)
Gopalakrishnan R (+91 8197235684)
No comments:
Post a Comment