While the city continues to be lashed by incessant rains, the spirit of young ballers from around the country at 75th Junior National Basketball Championship weren’t dampened at all as they took part in around 30 matches on day three of the tourney at the Guru Nanak Dev Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
Players in action during Day 3 of the 75th National Junior Basketball Championship at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Manish/HT)
In the men’s category, Karnataka beat Uttarakhand 77-48, Rajasthan beat Andhra Pradesh 74-36, Assam beat Arunachal Pradesh 66-34, Delhi beat Chhattisgarh 67-40, Gujarat beat Puducherry 70-37, Jharkhand beat Tripura 67-38, Mizoram beat Goa 84-69, Himachal Pradesh beat Sikkim 64-26, West Bengal beat Manipur 48-38, and Telangana beat Andaman and Nicobar 72-24.
In the women’s category, Gujarat beat Haryana 64-54, Tamil Nadu beat Rajasthan 89-82, Chhattisgarh beat Delhi 65-58, Puducherry beat Jharkhand 65-25, Kerala beat Goa 42-12, Himachal Pradesh beat West Bengal 42-24, and Odisha beat Meghalaya 72-68.
The tournament started on September 2 and will end on September 9. The championship has a total of 58 teams, comprising 31 men’s teams and 27 women’s teams, will compete in 160 matches, including 108 league matches (60 men’s, 48 women’s) and 52 knockout matches (26 men’s, 26 women’s, including loser knockouts). Approximately 900 individuals, including players, Basketball Federation of India (BFI) officials, technical personnel, referees, and support staff are participating in the tournament.
Teams have been organised into six groups per section, with men’s and women’s divisions split into Level 1 (Groups A and B, comprising last year’s top 10 teams) and Level 2 (Groups C, D, E, F). The men’s Level 2 groups each have 5 teams, while the women’s section includes Group C with 5 teams and Groups D, E, and F with 4 teams each. Winning teams will progress through quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals, promising intense competition and showcasing the future of Indian basketball.