2019 Sub-Junior Nationals: Mizoram Boys and Tamil Nadu rise to capture the gold in Cuttack

Sometimes the best thing about basketball is watching a dominant force unleash its dominance, over and over again, executing the game to its most beautiful conclusion. At other times, the joy of the game is in the underdog stories, of surprises, of being witness to a 'Cinderella' run to the title, in David defeating Goliath.

Both these instances were on showcase over the past week at the 46th Sub Junior (U14) National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls, held in Cuttack (Odisha) from September 3-9. Organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Odisha Basketball Association, the Sub-Junior Nationals featured participation from 24 boys' and 25 girls' teams from around India. At the finals on Monday, Mizoram (Boys) became the 'Cinderella' story, winning the gold, while Tamil Nadu (Girls) captured the top spot after last year's runners-up finish. The championship was held in Cuttack's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the Indoor Complex in Barabati

The girls' final was a rematch of last year's event in Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), with Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra squaring up again in the finals. Maharashtra, the reigning champions, stayed on course on Monday as well, as both teams started with a tie after the first quarter and TN only held a slim, 32-30 lead at halftime. But it was the incredible third period explosion by TN that proved to be the differene, as they outscored Maharashtra 33-13, and then put the nail in the coffin in the fourth to run away with a 85-67 victory. Antheya Daisy of TN was the best individual performer of the day, scoring 31 in the win. Juana Chrisolin added 18 points in TN's winning effort.

The boys' finale featured two very different teams: the favourites, Punjab, who had been dominating every level of the game with their size and athleticism; and the relative newcomers from the basketball-mad northeast state of Mizoram, who had surprised bigger teams en route to the final with their speed and shooting. The neck-to-neck game remained close for three quarters, as Punjab held a slim 35-34 advantage. But it was the Mizos who ended in style, hitting the big baskets and the getting the biggest stops in the fourth quarter to edge away to a 51-46 win, their third in Sub-Junior nationals history. Emmanuel of Mizoram led all scorers with 17 points.

The third-place match-ups of the losing semi-finalists were also held on Monday. In the boys' game, Maharashtra and Haryana went the stretch in a close contest, and the Maha boys eventually sneaked away with a 75-73 victory. Shaik Taufiq scored 26 to pace Maharashtra, while Kaushal of Haryana had a game-high 28.

In the girls' game, Karnataka had an easy ride against Delhi, routing their opponents 56-34 to return home with a bronze medal.

Final Scores

Girls: Tamil Nadu (Antheya Daisy 31, Juana Chrisolin 18) bt. Maharashtra 85-67 [18-18, 14-12, 33-13, 20-22].

Boys: Mizoram (Emmanuel 17) bt. Punjab 51-46 [12-13, 10-8, 12-14, 17-11].
Final Standings

Girls

• 1. Tamil Nadu
• 2. Maharashtra
• 3. Karnataka
• 4. Delhi
• 5. Kerala

Boys

• 1. Mizoram
• 2. Punjab
• 3. Maharashtra
• 4. Haryana
• 5. Tamil Nadu

46th Sub Junior National Basketball Championship to tip off in Cuttack (Odisha)

The youngest national basketball event in Indian basketball will continue its decades-long journey tomorrow. The 46th Sub Junior (U14) National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls will be held in Cuttack (Odisha) from September 3-9, 2019. The championship will be held in Cuttack's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the Indoor Complex in Barabati. It will feature participation from 24 boys' and 25 girls' teams from around India.

The event is being organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Odisha Basketball Association.

Last year's defending champions from Kangra - Uttar Pradesh (Boys) and Maharashtra (Girls) will start this year's tournament among the favourites.

Participating Teams

Women

• Group A: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Harayana, Punjab, Kerala
• Group B: Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi
• Group C: Gujarat, Jharkhand, Manipur
• Group D: Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Odisha
• Group E: Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Puducherry, West Bengal
• Group F: Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Uttarkhand

Boys

• Group A: Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
• Group B: Rajasthan, Maharstra, Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh
• Group C: Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal
• Group D: Telengana, Gujarat, Manipur, Uttarkhand
• Group E: Delhi, Goa, Mizoram, Tripura
• Group F: Kerala, Chandigarh, Odisha, Puducherry

The championship will officially be declared open at 6.00 PM on 3rd September by Achhyuta Samanta, the MP of Kandhana.

Chhattisgarh (Girls) and Delhi (Boys) win Junior National Basketball Championship in Cuttack

Chhattisgarh's Women's basketball continued their golden age of dominance over hoops in India, defending their gold medal by winning the final on Sunday at the 64th National Basketball Championship for Junior Men & Women, India's premier basketball competition for under-18 talents from across the nation. Chhattisgarh defeated a spirited Kerala squad in the Final at Cuttack, in Odisha. The Men's title was capture by Delhi, who defeated Punjab in another clash of the titans.

The Junior Nationals, organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Odisha Basketball Association, featured a total of 46 squads in the boys' and girls' divisions and was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium from September 1-8 in Cuttack.

The tournament featured surprises, breakout performances, and some dominant play by India's best junior stars, many of whom are sure to be the faces of the nation's basketball charge in the future.

Led by the dominant 6'7" Poonam Chaturvedi, India's tallest active female basketball player, Chhattisgarh arrived in the Final for a fitting clash against rivals Kerala. Chaturvedi, who averaged a scintillating 46 points per contest through the course of the tournament, added 43 points and 19 rebounds in the Final to cap a wildly successful route to the title. Sangeeta Kaur added 21 in the final for the winning side. Chhattisgarh took an early lead and maintained it till the end to outlast Kerala 79-69. Kerala's Poojamol KS, another star talent for the Indian junior side, scored 33 points in the final, but no other teammate was able to add to her efforts in the final.

The boys title pitted the deep and experienced Delhi side against the experienced and big squad from Punjab. Punjab's star-studded roster also featured India's 7-foot-1 phenom Satnam Singh Bhamara. Bhamara continued his bright performances at the championship with 24 points in the Final. Punjab led by one at the end of the first quarter, but Delhi made a comeback in the second and the dominant third period to take the lead and hold on for a 89-82 win. A mixed group of stars led by Pradeep Kumar (26), Gaurav Ohlan (23) and Pankaj Rathi (17) led the way for Delhi.

The bronze medal games were also held at the venue on Sunday. Tamil Nadu Boys rode on the coattails of S. Karthickeyan, who had a game-high 38 points to help vanquish Kerala 96-57. Akhil added 20 for the losing side. In the girls' game, Maharashtra broke a close tie against Tamil Nadu in the second quarter and maintained their advantage for a 78-66 victory. Ishwari Pingle (21), Shireen Limaye (19) and Krittika (16) were the leading scorers for Maharashtra.

Delhi's Gaurav Ohlan (Boys) and Chhattisgarh's Kavita Akula (Girls) were named the MVPs of the tournament.

The winning teams were awarded Rs 1,00,000 each, the silver-medalists Rs 75,000, and the bronze-medalists Rs 50,000. The two MVP’s in the boys and girls section, Delhi’s Gaurav Ohlan and Chhattisgarh’s Kavita Akula won Rs 15,000 each. During halftime of both the finals, the silver medal winning girls and boys teams from the 1st U18 FIBA Asia 3X3 Championship in Bangkok were awarded cash prizes of Rs 50,000 each.

On Saturday, history was made the tournament's semi-finals. Chhattisgarh's Poonam Chaturvedi, who had dropped 63 on Tamil Nadu Girls earlier in the competition, broke out once again against TN in the Semi-Final clash, scoring 67 points in one of the greatest individual performances of All Time at the Junior Nationals. Kavita Akula added 16 for Chhattisgarh who stormed by TN for a 110-79 win. R. Selvamithra led TN with 17. In the earlier girls' semi, Poojamol KS (30), Grima (22), Elizabeth (19) helped Kerala overcome a six point half-time deficit to Maharashtra to come back and post a 88-84 win. Sruthi (24) and Shireen Limaye (23) led the way for Maharashtra in the neck-to-neck challenge.

It was a close game in the boys' semi-final between Delhi and Tamil Nadu too, until the fourth quarter when mistakes and foul trouble by TN helped Delhi gain momentum and sneak by to a 92-75 victory. AS Sohal had a game-high 37 for Delhi, while Pradeep Kumar and Narendra Rathi added 17 each. S. Karthickeyan (23) and P. Vijay (17) were leading scorers for TN. In another close game between Punjab and Kerala, Satnam Singh Bhamara scored with 26 points while Rajveer Singh (20) and Khushmeet Singh (16) aided his efforts to help Punjab stamp their place in the Final with a 80-75 win. It was a close game till the very end, with both teams exchanging leads until Punjab finally created some separation in the game's dying minutes. Sreerag had 22 for Kerala.

Final Scores

• Boys:Delhi (Pradeep Kumar 26, Ohlan Gourav 23, Pankaj Rathi 17, Narender Rathi 15) bt Punjab (Satnam Singh 24, Loveneet Singh 14) 89-82 (19-20, 24-26, 20-11, 26-25).
  
• Girls: Chhattishgarh (Poonam Chaturvedi 43, Sangeeta 21, Akula Kavita 13) bt Kerala (Poojamol KS 33) 79-68 (21-15, 18-15, 19-21, 21-17).
  

Third/Fourth Place Matchups

• Boys: Tamil Nadu (S.Karthickeyan 38, Nikal Pandian 13, M. Harissh 13) bt Kerala (Akhil 20) 96-57 (27-18, 24-11, 30-12, 15-16).
  
• Girls: Maharashtra (Ishwari Pingle 21, Shireen Limaye 19, Krittika 16, Sruthi 13) bt Tamil Nadu (Keerthi 13) 78-66 (21-21, 19-13, 18-18, 20-14).
  

Final Standings

Boys

1. Delhi
2. Punjab
3. Tamil Nadu
4. Kerala
5. Madhya Pradesh

Girls

1. Chhattisgarh
2. Kerala
3. Maharashtra
3. Tamil Nadu
5. Uttar Pradesh

46 under-18 basketball teams descend in Cuttack for India's Junior National Championship

A total of 23 boys' teams and 23 girls' teams have descended in the city of Cuttack, Odisha, to take part in India's premier under-18 tournament, the 64th Junior National Basketball Championship for boys and girls. The tournament tipped off on Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, and is slated to be held until September 8th.

Chhattisgarh's boys' and girls' squads both won the previous edition of the Junior Nationals in Puducherry, and will be defending their titles against the best young talent in the country this year. The championship is being organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is association with the Odisha Basketball Association.

The participating teams are:

Boys

Level 1
Group A: Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan.
Group B: Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh.
Level 2
Group C: Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh.
Group D: Odisha, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir.
Group E: West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand.
Group F: Haryana, Assam, Puducherry, Uttarakhand.

Girls

Level 1
Group A: Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana.
Group B: Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha.
Group C: Karnataka, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh.
Level 2
Group D: Puducherry, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir.
Group E: Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan.
Group F: Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal.

On Sunday evening, the championship was inaugurated by Dr. S. C. Jamir, the Governor of Odisha.

Chhattisgarh girls started the tournament in Cuttack on a positive note on day one, following the lead of India's tallest female basketball players Poonam Chaturvedi to a 92-65 win over Uttar Pradesh. Chaturvedi scored 44 points as Chhattisgarh led from the opening tip to a statement win. Experienced youngster Sangeeta Kaur added 31 for Chhattisgarh. UP were led by Preeti Kumari's 20 points.

In other top girls' game, Kerala and Punjab fought it out in a defensive encounter, which Kerala won 62-50. Young Kerala superstar Poojamol KS had 21 points for the winning side and Garima Merlin added 20. Nirmal Kaur had 29 points for Punjab in a losing effort.

In the boys' division, Delhi broke the triple-digit mark in a high-scoring affair, running past Rajasthan to a 114-86 victory. Pradeep (29), Narendar (26), A. Singh Sohal (25) and Pankaj (16) led the way to the win. Devendra had 22 for Rajasthan.

Tamil Nadu came back from a first quarter deficit to beat Madhya Pradesh 75-64 earlier on the first day. S. Karthickeyan was on fire, scoring 28 points, while Vijay added 17 in the victory.

You can follow all the results from the tournament via the BFI here.

Scores

Boys

• Tamil Nadu (S. Karthickayan 28, P.Vijay 17, G.Bethal 13) bt Madhya Pradesh (BP Singh 15, B Akash 14) 75-64 (21-23, 22-16, 20-8, 12-17).
  
• Delhi (Pradeep 29, Narendar 26, A Singh Sohal 25, Pankaj 16) bt Rajasthan (Devendra 22, Navjot 14, Atul Singh 14, Abhimanyu 13, Tushar 13) 114-86 (22-17, 39-13, 24-30, 29-16).
  
• Karnataka (Issac Thomas 20, Sowkin Shetty 13) bt Andhra Pradesh 80-52 (24-24, 21-7, 19-11, 16-10).
  

Girls

• Chhattishgarh (Poonam Chaturvedi 44, Sangeeta Kaur 31) bt Uttar Pradesh (Preeti Kumari 20, Barkha Sonkar 14) 92-65 (24-15, 23-15, 19-19, 26-16).
  
• Kerala (Poojamol KS 21, Garima Merlin 20) bt Punjab (Nirmal Kaur 29) 62-50 (12-9, 18-14, 13-16, 19-11).
  
• Karnataka (Supriya MS 16) bt Gujarat 67-13 (28-6, 14-2, 13-0, 12-5).
  

2013 Junior National Championship to tip off in Cuttack (Odisha) on September 1

Chhattisgarh's basketball squads will be the center of attention once again as they look to defend their title at the 64th National Basketball Championship for Junior Men and Women, set to be held in Cuttack (Odisha) from September 1-8, 2013. The tournament, which will pit India's finest Junior (U18) basketball players as they represent states and provinces from all across the country, will be organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Odisha Basketball Association.

A total of 46 teams - 23 in each of the two divisions - will compete against each other for the crown. Matches are set to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, with tip off early morning on Sunday.

A year ago, Chhattisgarh dominated the Junior Nationals winning gold medals in both the boys' and the girls' divisions in Puducherry. They will be amongst the favourites this year again, especially since they won another double gold in the Sub-Junior competition at the Nationals in Patna earlier this week. Maharashtra and Kerala (Girls) and Punjab and Madhya Pradesh (Boys) could be amongst the top challengers to Chhattisgarh's crown.

At the tournament's onset, the BFI's CEO Roopam Sharma said, “Basketball Federation of India is delighted to host the 64th Junior National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls in Cuttack. The BFI is thankful to the Odisha Basketball Association for rendering their support in organizing and hosting the event. Young and dynamic players will be the path of success for basketball in the country. This event will showcase competitive games and a pool of talented players, who will comprise the next set of senior level players.

The tournament will be held on the league-cum-knockout basis, with the Finals scheduled for September 8.