Corvuss Basketball Academy, Karjat produced a spirited fighting performance to overcome fancied Dominic Savio by 53-48 in a action-packed Junior Girls’ U-18 final of the Nagpada Basketball Association (NBA) organised 18th NBA Invitational Basketball Tournament, played at the floodlit Late Bachoo Khan basketball courts, Nagpada. The Karjat girls trailed 20-24 at the halfway stage.
Corvuss Basketball Academy players are all smiles as they pose with the winners’ trophy and prizes along with their head coach Ollie Bailey.
Bhumika Singh and Muskan Singh played the lead roles for the Academy team, both scoring 15 points each while Sneha Yadav made a useful contribution of 12 points to secure the win. For Dominic Savio their captain Richa Ravi consistently found the hoop and scored 20 points while Kaithlyn Machado added 10 points.
However, the Corvuss Academy lads failed to taste success as they went down fighting to the superior Mastan YMCA 59-38 in the Junior Boys’ U-18 final. The YMCA youngsters dominated play from the start and enjoyed a commanding 29-20 lead at the break.
Mastan YMCA players are all smiles as they pose with the winners’ trophy and prizes along with the Chief Guests and Guests of Honour and other dignitaries.
Usman A. 14 points, Shahrukh K. and Zeeshan S. 11, both scored 11 points apiece, Taufia Shaikh 10 points, and Saif Shaikh 8 points were responsible for Mastan YMCA boys emerging champions. Corvuss Academy scored through their hard-working raider Prabhat Mishra 14 points and Yogesh Yadav 12 points.
The Girls final was a closely fought and absorbing contest. Dominic Savio girls trailed 11-14 at the end of the first quarter. But they completely dominated the second scoring 13 points while Corvuss managed only six points and grabbed a slender 24-20 lead. The Mumbai-based Dominic Savio did well to stay ahead (38-32) at the end of the third quarter. However, Corvuss Academy girls showing great determination and solid fighting qualities scored a high 21 points in the final session and with Dominic Savio shooting a dismal 10 points they clinched the match and walked away with the top honours.
Results – Junior Boys’ U-18 (Final): Mastan YMCA (Usman A. 14, Shahrukh K. 11, Zeeshan S. 11, Taufia Shaikh 10, Saif Shaikh 8) Beat Corvuss Basketball Academy ( Prabhat Mishra 14, Yogesh Yadav 12) – 59-38 (Half-Time 29-20
Junior Girls’ U-18 (Final): Corvuss Basketball Academy (Bhumika Singh 15, Muskan Singh 15, Sneha Yadav 12) Beat Dominic Savio (Richa Ravi 20, Kaithlyn Machado 10) – 53-48 (Half-Time: 20-24).