Reigning champs Ludhiana Academy march on in Mahindra NBA Challenge

Ludhiana, September 1, 2012: Defending champions Ludhiana Academy remain on course to retain their junior boys crown in the Mahindra NBA Challenge after an overwhelming second half performance saw them beat Amritsar 91-57 in the quarterfinals at the Guru Nanak stadium here today.

Contrary to what the scoreline might suggest, Ludhiana Academy were made to work hard for their win by a valiant Amritsar side who, at one stage during the second quarter, trailed by just two points at 38-40. But the champions raised their game in the second-half to seal the win which booked them a place in the last four.

The following junior boys quarterfinal clash between Muktsar and ACE Club Khanna proved to be a much closer affair with Muktsar coming out on top 71-59 thanks mainly to an inspired performance from Amandeep Singh who scored 31 points.

However, there was heartbreak for Muktsar in the junior girls quarterfinals where they bowed out of the tournament at the hands of Mansa who prevailed 42-22 with Nirmal Kaur netting an impressive haul of 22 points.

Mansa were joined in the semifinals by Khalsa College and Amritsar who both recorded straightforward wins. Khalsa College coasted to a 46-14 victory over Jalandhar while Navdeep Kaur (20 points) starred in Amritsar’s 61-29 win over Kapurthala.

Results:

Youth boys pre-quarterfinals:

Gymkhana Club bt DPS Ludhiana 56-28 (Top Scorer: Rishab 9 pts)

Jr. boys quarterfinals:

Ludhiana Academy bt Amritsar 91-57(Top Scorer: Harman 21 pts)

Jr. boys quarterfinals:

Muktsar bt ACE Club Khanna 71-59 (Top Scorer: Amandeep Singh 31 pts)

Sr. men quarterfinals:

Punjab Police bt Ludhiana District 96-33 (Top Scorer: Ranbir 23 pts)

Sr. men quarterfinals:

Amritsar bt PAU Club 45-17 (Top Scorer: Aridhman 14 pts)

Jr. girls quarterfinals:

Khalsa College bt Jalandhar 46-14 (Top Scorer: Pawandeep 14 pts)

Jr. girls quarterfinals:

Amritsar bt Kapurthala 61-29 (Top Scorer: Navdeep Kaur 20 pts)

Jr. girls quarterfinals:

Mansa bt Muktsar 42-22 (Top Scorer: Nirmal Kaur 22 pts)