India stunned Sri Lanka 93-44 to hold the South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship title here on Monday. The champion, undefeated in each of the five apparatuses, booked a spot in the FIBA Asian Championship to be held in Hunan (China) not long from now.
India Retains South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship title :
In the title-defining conflict at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium indoor courts, the Lankans were compelled to depend on extreme bounce shots, as the Indian centres Aravind Annadurai and Rikin Pethani (eleven bounce back and four pieces) claimed the paint. For when the athletic Sri Lankans headed to the basket, they were closed around by the gigantic Indians.
On the offensive end mode, Annadurai was relentless. The Tamil Nadu player, outfitted with both a delicate touch and force, completed with 22 points and four helps. Pratham Singh (17 points) was viable on the quick breaks, streaking through the paths and going out with a bang.
“This was a vital competition triumph, in light of the fact that it was accomplished without our key players — Amjyot Singh, Amritpal Singh, Satnam Singh and others. It respected see our more youthful players (which incorporated five debutantes) perform in their absence,” Pratham said.
When inquired about his team’s chances at the Asian Championship, the shooting guard from Rajasthan said: “We lost barely to the big groups in our past effort. This time, we will improve.” Basketball Ball Federation of India President K. Govindaraj declared a money recompense of Rs. 35,000 for the Indian group. The side is gathered with Iran, Malaysia and Japan at Hunan.
The results of the matches are as follows:
1. Sri Lanka 76 (Randima Sooriyaachchi 16, Thimothi Leon 14, Sudesh Ahamed 11) beat Nepal 68 (Ayush Singh 3, Bikram Joshi 12, Sadish Pradhan 12);
2. India 128 (Prasanna Venkatesh 26, Rikin Pethani 21, Akashdeep Hazra 17, A. Arvind 17) beat Maldives 48 (Zakariya Latheef 14);
3. Bangladesh 82 (Mohd. Tareq Aziz 26, Mithun Biswas 18, Mithun Sarkan 17) beat Bhutan 70 (Rinchen Dorji 21, Tashi Tendhar 12);
4. India 93 (Aravind Annadurai 22, Pratham Singh 17, Joginder Singh 13, Narender Grewal 12) beat Sri Lanka 44 (Praneeth Udumalagala 13);
5. Maldives 97 (Mohd. Zilaal 18, Firaash Ahmed 16, Ibrahim Ilyas 13, Ibrahim Rashwan 12, Aushan Ahmed 10) beat Bhutan 55 (Wangchuck Chimi 11, Wangchuk Karma 11).
Last standings of the tournament:
1. India, 2. Sri Lanka, 3. Nepal, 4. Bangladesh, 5. Maldives, 6. Bhutan