76th Junior Nationals: Haryana edge Rajasthan 87-80; Chhattisgarh eves beat Karnataka 67-62

Haryana men survived a fierce fourth-quarter comeback from Rajasthan to win 87–80, while Chhattisgarh women relied on a dominant third-quarter defensive display to edge Karnataka 67–62, booking their spots in the 76th Junior National Basketball Championship finals

Hyderabad: Dominant Haryana men and high-flying Chhattisgarh women registered contrasting semifinal victories to book their spots in the gold-medal games of the 76th Junior National Basketball Championship at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Puducherry on Thursday.

In the men’s section, Haryana became the first team to enter the final, surviving a furious late-game onslaught from Rajasthan to secure an 87–80 victory.

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Haryana asserted their dominance from the opening whistle, deploying a suffocating defensive press to claim a 19–18 lead in the first quarter. Their execution sharpened further in the second period, outscoring Rajasthan 21–15 to head into the halftime break with a comfortable 40–33 cushion.

Haryana continued their offensive efficiency in the third frame, extending their lead to 65–47. However, Rajasthan flipped the script entirely in the fourth quarter, exploding for 33 points to stage a massive comeback. Despite Rajasthan’s aggressive transition scoring, Haryana relied on crucial late free throws and their early cushion to seal the 87–80 win.

Ajay spearheaded the Haryana attack with a stellar 27 points, heavily supported by Mayank Kanchi’s 22. Rajasthan’s Mohammed Raza Khan matched the game-high with 27 points in a losing cause. Haryana will face the winner of the second semifinal between Chandigarh and Karnataka in the grand finale.

In the women’s semifinal, Chhattisgarh displayed elite defensive resilience to edge past a gritty Karnataka side 67–62.

The match began as a neck-and-neck battle, with Chhattisgarh taking a slim 14–11 lead in the opening quarter. Karnataka fought back fiercely in the second period, locking down Chhattisgarh to carry a 31–24 advantage into halftime.

The third quarter proved to be the turning point of the match. Chhattisgarh executed a suffocating defensive press, holding Karnataka to a mere 7 points while exploding for 17 of their own to snatch a 42–37 lead. Chhattisgarh managed to maintain their composure in the final minutes to lock down the victory. Divya Rangari was unstoppable for the winning side, dropping a massive 27 points, while Karnataka’s effort was led by Shravani Shivanna with 16 points.

Chhattisgarh now awaits the winner of the second women’s semifinal between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.