Sub-junior basketball: Maharashtra set up final against Tamil Nadu

Maharashtra defeated Karnataka 71-60 to enter the girls’ final of the Sub-junior National Basketball Championship in Vijayawada. Tamil Nadu beat Uttar Pradesh to set up the final, while defending champions Uttar Pradesh defeated Maharashtra in the boys’ semifinal

Hyderabad: A dominant Maharashtra booked a place in the championship round by defeating Karnataka 71-60 in the girls’ semifinal of the Sub-junior National Basketball Championship here on Saturday.

Maharashtra established an early advantage, leading 36-25 at half-time, and held off a spirited Karnataka side to secure the win.

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Netra Damke spearheaded Maharashtra’s attack with 17 points, supported by Anika Naik’s 10. For Karnataka, Aarushi Ananth put up a valiant game-high 22 points, while Kushi Kushi chipped in with 10.

Maharashtra will face Tamil Nadu in the final after the latter defeated Uttar Pradesh 73-41.

In the boys’ section, defending champions Uttar Pradesh moved one step closer to retaining their crown by defeating Maharashtra 63-55.

The morning session kicked off with nail-biting action in the losers’ knockout finals. In the boys’ section, Telangana edged past Tamil Nadu by a solitary point in a dramatic 66-65 finish.

Meanwhile, the girls’ knockout final saw hosts Andhra Pradesh put up a brave fight but ultimately fall short against Haryana, losing 50-54.

The scores:

Semifinals — Girls:
Maharashtra 71 (Netra Damke 17, Anika Naik 10) bt Karnataka 60 (Aarushi Ananth 22, Kushi Kushi 10).
Tamil Nadu 73 (Leo Jafflin 17, V Anshika 11, Dhanya M 10) bt Uttar Pradesh 41 (Tejaswi Khana 10).

Boys:
Uttar Pradesh 63 (Sahil Kumar 15, Vanish Tomar 12) bt Maharashtra 55 (Mayank Sharma 16).

Quarterfinals — Boys:
Maharashtra 78 (Mayank Sharma 27, Shubham Sharma 11) bt Madhya Pradesh 72 (Anil Kanchi 16, Pranjal Sharma 15).
Rajasthan 69 (Harshwardhan Singh 23, Rajat Vyas 12) bt Chhattisgarh 53 (Prince Kumar 14, Jaskaran Singh 11).

Semifinal-  Boys

Rajasthan defeated Haryana 82 -47.

Girls:
Uttar Pradesh 68 (Tejasvi Karhana 21, Angel Malik 15) bt Madhya Pradesh 57 (Monika Dhakad 13, Eram…).