Date:01/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/01/stories/2005010104381800.htm

Sport - Basketball

Tamil Nadu posts win

By Kamesh Srinivasan

LUDHIANA, DEC. 31. Defending champion Tamil Nadu perspired to a 93-86 victory over Services in the quarterfinals of the Dhanoa 55th National basketball championship at the Guru Nank Sports Complex here on Friday.

It was a welcome return to a semblance of its usual form for the champion of the last five editions, after Tamil Nadu had suffered successive defeats against Punjab and Uttaranchal in the superelague.

Peter John threatened to take the match away from Tamil Nadu, and when K. Vipin and Phool Singh converted a couple of three-pointers to bridge the gap to three points at 66-69, Tamil Nadu did feel the jitters.

However, S. Robinson showed his class, even as he struggled to strike his wonted form, as the 24-year-old slotted the vital points. When Robison dunked to fetch an 83-72 lead for Tamil Nadu with three minutes and 33 seconds left on the clock, the match was as good as sealed.

Yet, some more drama unfolded, what with the clock malfunctioning and being reset to show more time.

Adding to the anxiety was a leaking roof, as winter showers caused three wet spots on the court, making the players slip.

There was some relief for Tamil Nadu as Peter, who top scored for Services with 35 points, went out with five fouls with 57 seconds left on the clock. On its part, Tamil Nadu did well to convert four of its last six free-throws to ensure a smooth finish. The fact that the live-wire in the Services camp, Sambaji Kadam was out with five fouls just before halftime itself also helped Tamil Nadu regain its rhythm.

S. Gopinath played a fine role for Tamil Nadu with his all-round efficiency, while R. Chandrasekar chipped in usefully in the second half. A. D. Sukavaneswaran was still trying to find his best touch, but handled the match competently.

Tamil Nadu will clash with Punjab in the semifinal. Punjab was well-served by Amit Prasher, especially in the first half when the team trailed by 10 points at one stage against Jharkhand..

In the women's quarterfinals, Railways was teased by Himachal Pradesh in its 81-59 triumph, as the 21-year-old Chhunki slotted as many as 42 poins that included nine three-pointers.

The Tamil Nadu women went through some anxious moments before beating Andhra Pradesh 63-60. After being on par at 28-28 at halftime, Andhra rattled Tamil Nadu with 21 points in the last quarter, but a 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter proved handy for Tamil Nadu.

Chhattisgarh outplayed former champion and seven time finalist Kerala to set up a semifinal against Delhi.

The results (quarterfinals):

Men: Tamil Nadu 93 (S. Robinson 29, A. D. Sukavaneswaran 17, R. Chandrasekar 16, S. Gopinath 15) bt Services 86 (Peter John 35, Phool Singh 15, K. Vipin 12, Dalip Kumar 11); Punjab 99 (Parminder Singh 33, Amit Prasher 27, Talwinderjit Singh 20) bt Jharkhand 86 (Shiv Kumar 23, Ramasare Yadav 22, Binod Choudhary 19, Ullas Jose 13).

Women: Railways 81 (V. P. Sini 19, Manisha Kaprekar 12, Ranjini Peter 11, P. Anitha 10, Anju Lakra 10) bt Himachal Pradesh 59 (Chhunki 42); Tamil Nadu 63 (P. Lakshmi Devi 22, N. Shyamala 14, M. Adhirai 14) bt Andhra Pradesh 60 (Jetty Jose 23, V. J. Ani 15); Chhattisgarh 52 (M. Pushpa 23, Aakansha Singh 14) bt Kerala 32; Delhi 82 (Shiba Maggon 27, Divya Singh 18, L. S. Savitha 15, Asha Hegde 14) bt Punjab 59 (Aashna 19, Manpreet Kaur 13, Paramjit Kaur 12).

Thursday's result: Men (pre-quarterfinals):

Karnataka 90 (M. Manoj 27, Basavaraj Murgoud 17, B. C. Umashankar 14, B. S. Gautham 13) bt Madhya Pradesh 87 (Rajeev Choudhary 24, Kuldeep Hardia 19, Prakash Mishra 16, Neeraj Singh Gurjar 15, Akhilesh Saini 11).