The Hindu : Sport / Basketball : Southern Railway women win title

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Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007
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Southern Railway women win title

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: Southern Railway (Chennai) posted a 73-53 win over South East Central Railway (Bilaspur) to retain the Kapila Khandwala women’s Trophy in the 24th United Phosphorous all-India Ramu Memorial basketball tournament here on Sunday.

The winner led 39-26 at half-time.

SEC kept pace with the defending champion till the second quarter. However, Southern Railway turned on the pace and went ahead in the vital third quarter, building on a 65-38 lead to the finish.

Southern Railway’s India star Geethu Anna Jose showcased the gap between her and the rest, ending up with 27 points and complemented by the consistent P. Anitha (18 including two three-pointers) and M. Adhirai (13 with one three-pointer).

M. Pushpa top-scored for SEC with 11 points. Anju Lakra was effective (three three-pointers) along with Seema Singh (two three-pointers), both chipping in with 10 points.

Meanwhile, Western Railway (Ratlam) and Vijaya Bank (Bangalore) set up a surprise men’s title clash after stunning wins in thrilling semifinals ties.

Western Railway defeated favourite and last year’s runner-up Indian Army 71-60.

The match could have gone either way with two minutes and 16 seconds remaining. But, the Western Railway players delivered in the last minute-and-a-half with crucial baskets. It was powered by Jasjot Singh (21), Prakash Mishra (19) and Yadwinder Singh (15).

Indian Army’s main scorers were Jairam Jat (18), Dalip Kumar (11) and Sweeto Francis (10).

In the other last-four match, Vijaya Bank defeated Indian Navy 72-70. The bankmen capitalised on Indian Navy’s missed chances in the last minute to snatch a win.

The results: Men: Semifinals: Vijaya Bank (Bangalore) 72 (Murali Mohan 21, Srinivas Nayak 16, M. Basvaraj 14) bt Indian Navy 70 (K. Vipin 30, S.M. Settu 22); Western Railway 71 (Jasjot Singh 21, Prakash Mishra 19, Yadwinder Singh 15) bt Indian Army 60 (Jairam Jat 18, Dalip Kumar 11, Sweeto Francis 10).

Women: Final: Southern Railway 73 (Geethu Anna Jose 27, P. Anitha 18, M. Adhirai 13) bt South East Central Railway (Bilaspur) 53 (M. Pushpa 11, Anju Lakra 10, Seema Singh 10).

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