Palghar Tigers crowned themselves in glory defeating Nagpur Blasters 52-44 (half-time: 18-14) in the junior girls’ final of the Basketball Network Academy (BNA) organised Junior Basketball League 2022 for the ageasFEDERAL Trophy, and played at the Dr. Muthukumar Basketball Court, Indian Gymkhana. The tournament is being conducted under the auspices of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association & in association with Indian Gymkhana.
Consistent shooters Rutuja Nalawade 28 points and captain Samaira Bhalla 20 points were instrumental in Palghar Tigers victory, while Nagpur Blasters found the hoop through the efforts of Muskaan Ajmani 16 points and Khushi Solanki 11 points.
Rutuja and Samaira were both happy to win the title. “It feels good to finish as the champions. This was a tournament which provided us an opportunity to play competitive matches after more than three years, so it is definitely a great feeling to come out trumps,” Rutuja and Samaira said in unison.
However, Palghar Tigers captain Samaira was a little disappointed with their performance. “We won, but could have done better and won more handsomely. We made quite a number of mistakes and missed some easy sitters,” she mentioned.
Earlier, in the third place match, Mumbai Warriors got the better of Ratnagiri Vipers by a narrow 63-61 margin after trailing 27-28 at the break.
Mumbai Warriors leading shooters were Gajalakshmi Shaktivel 18 points, Jiya Singh and Vaidhee Arote both 17 points each. For Ratnagiri Vipers the main scorer was Afza Khan, who accounted for more than half of the team’s total, with 32 points against her name. Ishita Sharda chipped in with 15 points.
Results: Junior Girls’ final: Palghar Tigers (Rutuja Nalawade 28, Samaira Bhalla 20) beat Nagpur Blasters (Muskaan Ajmani 16, Khushi Solanki 11) — 52-44 (half-time: 18-14).Third place: Mumbai Warriors (Gajalakshmi Shaktivel