IND – Railways continue dominance in India

DELHI (BFI) - Indian Railways underlined their dominance of basketball in India by winning both titles for the third straight year at the 61st IMG-Reliance National Basketball Championship for Men and Women.

The eight-day event tipped off on December 28 with games staged at both the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi and Modern School in Barakhamba.

The men’s and women’s finals were played on Tuesday.

Indian Railways thrashed Delhi 95-55 for the women’s crown – their 23rd in the last 25 national championships.

Railways got 29 points from Geethu Anna Jose and 23 from Anju while Prashanti Singh and Raspreet Sidhu scored 18 and 16 points, respectively, for the hosts.

The two sides have now met in the final for nine straight years, with Indian Railways prevailing in the last eight.

In the third place game, Tamil Nadu Women edged out Chhattisgarh, 55-51.

As for the men’s showdown, Arjun Singh poured in 27 points in Indian Railways’ 74-62 triumph over Services.

Jay Ram Jat had 25 points in a losing effort.

Jagdeep Singh caught fire and scored 33 points as Punjab beat Kerala 89-67 in the men’s third-place game.

Basil Philip was the top man for Kerala in the clash with 26 points.

“Thanks to the help of our sponsors, IMG-Reliance, this was the biggest national championship to date,” said Harish Sharma, the secretary general of the Basketball Federation of India.

“The play on the court didn’t disappoint and it’s obvious for us to see that basketball is growing at an acceleration pace in India.

“Once again, I would like to thank and congratulate all the participating teams, coaches, managers, support staff, and fans who have helped make this a memorable championship.

“2010 was a big year for Indian basketball and I’m hoping that 2011 will be even better.”

FIBA