Leading by example captain Gajalakshmi Shaktivel scored a total of 33 points which inspired Mumbai Warrior to snatch a tense 61-53 win over extra period against Pune Panthers in an engrossing junior girls quarter-final match of the Basketball Network Academy (BNA) organised Junior Basketball League 2022 for the ageasFEDERAL Trophy, at the Dr. Muthukumar Basketball Court, Indian Gymkhana, on Saturday evening. The tournament is being conducted under the auspices of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association & in association with Indian Gymkhana.
After the match finished tied at 49-49, the energetic Gajalakshmi scored five successive baskets to help the Mumbai girls dominate the extra period 12-4 to snatch a satisfying win. Jiya Singh added 9 useful points to the Mumbai total. Pune Panthers who trailed 21-23 at the break scored through the hard-working Rianne Pereira 26 points and Anusha Rao 17 points.
In the other last eight match, Ratnagiri Vipers after trailing 18-21 at the halfway stage recovered to post a 43-39 win against Nashik Lions and book a place in the semi-final. Afza Khan with 30 points was the leading scorer for the Ratnagiri team, while Swarangi Borhade 17 points and Arpita Mayekar 10 points tried their best to give Nashik a fighting chance.
In Junior Boys’ quarter-final action, Aurangabad Eagles narrowly defeated Nagpur blasters 55-53 after enjoying a 31-26 half-time advantage, while Pune Panthers got the better of Thane Cheetahs by a close 79-76 margin. Pune trailed by a slender 34-35 point margin at the interval.
Results (Quarter-finals) — Junior Girls: Ratnagiri Vipers (Afza Khan 30) beat Nashik Lions (Swarangi Borhade 17, Arpita Mayekar 10) — 42-39 (half-time: 18-21).
Mumbai Warriors (Gajalakshmi Shaktivel 33, Jiya Singh 9) beat Pune Panthers (Rianne Pereira 26, Anusha Rao 17) – 61-53 via extra period, full time: 49-49 (half-time: 23-21).
Junior Boys: Aurangabad Eagles (Rakesh Jaiswar 18, Yash Mathapati 16, Aagam Jain 12) beat Nagpur blasters (Gautam Shah 17, Jayesh Mevada 11, Rahul Gupta 10) – 55-53 (half-time: 31-26).
Pune Panthers (Devang Pawar 33, Zanan Ahmed 23) beat Thane Cheetahs (Amit Yadav 25, Krish Bajaj 16, Saddam Shaikh 15, Venkat Rajesh 11) — 79-76 (half-time: 34-35).