PANAJI
Lourdes Basketball Club and YMCA Knights sealed their spots in the grand finale of the State Senior Basketball Championships for Men and Women, co-sponsored by Priority Constructions and organised by Lourdes Basketball Club in aegis with the Goa Basketball Association and the Sports Authority of Goa, at Don Bosco Oratory, Panjim.
In the first semifinal, Lourdes Basketball Club defeated KJs 64“49, pulling away late after a tight first three quarters. The scores by quarter read: Q1: 16“11, Q2: 11“13, Q3: 13“12, Q4: 24“13 in favour of LBC. Jordan Xavier (27 pts) stole the show with blistering fast breaks and accurate 3 point shooting, while Goa's top cager Jeshua Pinto who represented India at World University Games scored 17 points and Shubham Singh (12 pts) kept the scoreboard moving. Shiv Kumar (19 pts) and Arun Kumar (17 pts) fought valiantly for KJs, keeping them within striking distance until LBC’s dominant final quarter sealed the outcome.
The second semifinal saw YMCA Knights clinch a thrilling 44“41 victory over Don Bosco Sports Academy Fatorda, with quarter-wise scores reading Q1: 12“10, Q2: 8“12, Q3: 8“8, Q4: 16“11 in favour of the Knights. YMCA’s balanced offence proved decisive, led by Flobert Monteiro (13 pts) and Shaun Aranjo (13 pts), supported by strong contributions from Jaedan Vas (8 pts) and Nihal Fernandes (8 pts). Defensively, the Knights were outstanding, tightly marking Fatorda’s outstation stars Siva Sakhtivel and Yash Rathore, denying them easy scoring opportunities. For Fatorda, Aaryan Raut Desai had an outstanding game, scoring 17 points, while Siva (10 pts) and Tanish Lotlikar (9 pts) kept the pressure on.
