NAGPUR: With popular basketball phrase 'offence wins games, but defence wins championship' in mind, Dharampeth Krida Mandal (DKM) girls upped their defensive play to outclass arch rivals Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana (SNG) 43-40 and emerge Asmita Khelo India champions on Monday.
The summit clash of the nine-day U-17 girls tournament presented by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) was a thrill-a-minute event, and a treat to watch for a packed crowd at the Shankar Nagar court, where the home team prevailed over the district youth champions.
Close zone defence, followed by crucial steals and timely conversions were the order of play for DKM as SNG's star playmaker Gunjan Mantri, despite scoring a game-high 18 points, failed to lift her side against the hosts team effort.
While Anandi Sonewane continued from where she left in the semifinals to score a team-high 14 points in the final for DKM, Rajvi Maladhari (10), Nandini Chandak (9) and Meehira Dhote (8) came up with timely contributions as the home team utilized their court advantage well for a marginal three-point triumph.
DKM's defensive play paid dividends as they forced SNG to change their offensive strategy and had a handy nine-point lead at the lemon break. Though SNG won both the quarters after halftime, they failed to take the lead and DKM clinched the trophy with a prize money of 11,000.
Earlier, United Basketball Academy (UBA) stunned Nutan Bharat Yuwak Sangh (NBYS) 35-31 to finish third in the tournament.
The prizes were distributed by secretary of Nagpur District Basketball Association (NDBA) Bhavesh Kuchanwar, and Aradhana Garud and Arvind Garud of Garuda Gladiators. Senior handball coach of SAI Ashish Banerjee, DKM secretary Ravindra Kulkarni and other members of the district body were present. All the participating 24 teams were given Khelo India certificates.
RESULTS
FINAL: DKM (Anandi Sonewane 14, Rajvi Maladhari 10, Nandini Chandak 9, Meehira Dhote 8) bt SNG (Gunjan Mantri 18, Riddhi Borkar 10) 43-40 (7-4, 15-9, 11-12, 10-15)
Third place: UBA (Samija Korde 12) bt NBYS (Mrunmayee Sathe 10) 35-31 (11-12, 8-9, 12-4, 4-6).
