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U-13 basketball championship: Man-to-man defence propels SSBA to pedestal finish
SSBA was leading with a thin three-point margin 34-31 till the third quarter
Man-to-man defence in the final 10 minutes powered Sanjay Sawant Basketball Academy (SSBA) to beat Kamal Nayan Bajaj 52-41 and clinch the Phoenix Sports Academy’s 3rd edition under-13 basketball championship 2020 at the Pride English School basketball court on Sunday.
SSBA was leading with a thin three-point margin 34-31 till the third quarter.
Sanjay Sawant, SSBA coach, said, “As the difference was only three points, so instead of two-player defence we went for man-to-man and it clicked as the opponents failed to score during the final minutes.”
Kamal Nayan Bajaj enjoyed a one point lead only in the first quarter.
“We were ahead only three points (22-19) at half time, but our boys played with better coordination and claimed the trophy,” Sawant said.
The SSBA coach admitted that his side failed to strike three pointers, but was contend to win the title without them.
“The players are still new to the game and are learning the skills. We have good two pointers and will hone them to basket three pointers,” said Sawant, who is ex-servicemen.
SSBA had defeated ABC Sports Academy 51-43 In the semi-final.
“It was a difficult match, as we were facing Kamal Nayan Bajaj for the first time. We have good players, but most of them are shooters. With other players learning more skills, we can become a potent team,” said Shiv Wadia, captain, SSBA.
The finishers
Rebounder Sanat Kumar played a key role for SSBA’s success. “Sanat has been playing in competitive matches for two years and he executes the rebounders’ role to handling pressure really well,” Sawant said.
Ball handler Sidkarpreet Singh gave his team the much-needed support. “I like to shoot and dribble. To excel in the court, one needs to be a multi-skill player,” Singh said.
How to train first-timers the Sanjay Sawant way
Speed and stamina: Short running, long running (up to 3km), shuttle runners
Dribbling: Practice with two balls and different drills must for starters
Ball passing: Start with standing passing then progress to 2-player, 3-player and 5-player passing drills.
ABC girls beat Vibgyor 49-41
ABC Sports Academy defeated Vibgyor School 49-41 to lift the Phoenix Sports Academy’s 3rd edition under-13 basketball championship 2020 girls’ title at the Pride English School basketball court on Sunday. It was an experience-backed performance in all departments by the winning side.
Aarya Phatangare, ABC’s point guard, said, “We practice regularly at our academy and were preparing for this tournament for the past one year. We need to improve on free shots.” ABC had defeated Deccan Gymkhana in the semis.
“Deccan Gymkhana has always been a challenging side. Overpowering them was my most satisfactory moment regarding this contest,” said Anirudh Pole, coach of ABC Sports Academy.
