A determined Mumbai Warriors managed to overcome Thane Cheetahs by a narrow 63-60 points margin in a keenly fought junior boy’s Group-B match of the Basketball Network Academy (BNA) organised Junior Basketball League 2022 for the ageasFEDERAL Trophy, and played at the Indian Gymkhana courts, on Tuesday evening. The tournament is being conducted under the auspices of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association & in association with Indian Gymkhana.
Pune Panthers and Nagpur Blasters players
In an evenly contested encounter, Mumbai Warriors who enjoyed a slender 37-34 lead at the half-way stage were well-served by Dev Premi who scored 25 points and Siddhant Doshi with 15 points. Thane Cheetahs who offered a solid fight found baskets through Saddam Shaikh 18 points, Sujal Tambe 12 points, and Amit Yadav 11 points.
Meanwhile, Pune Panthers were all charged up and easily defeated Nagpur Blasters 85-48 after leading 54-20 at the end of the first two periods. The star of Panthers win was Sahil Dhanawate who scored a high 34 points and Devang Pawar with 12 points. For the Nagpur team Gautam Shah and Gautam B. scored 12 and 8 points respectively.
In the third match of the day, Nashik Lions warded off a late fightback from Ratnagiri Vipers by scoring a 80-72 win. Lions dominating play from the start raced to a 47-20 lead at the interval. Vijay Chauhan 26 points and Shivraj Patel 22 points were responsible for Nashik Lions win while Ratnagiri Vipers scored through Vishal Mustari 24 points and Vivek Yadav 17 points.
Results – Junior boys – Group-A: Nashik Lions (Vijay Chauhan 26, Shivraj Patel 22) beat Ratnagiri Vipers (Vishal Mustari 24, Vivek Yadav 17). 80-72 (half-time: 47-26).
Group-A: Pune Panthers (Sahil Dhanawate 34, Devang Pawar 12) beat Nagpur Blasters (Gautam Shah 12, Gautam B. 8) – 85-48 (half-time: 54-20).
Group-B: Mumbai Warriors (Dev Premi 25, Siddhant Doshi 15) beat Thane Cheetahs (Saddam Shaikh 18, Sujal Tambe 12, Amit Yadav 11) – 63-60 (half-time: 37-34).