The Indian men’s U18 basketball team won the 2024 SABA U18 Championship and booked their spot for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup to be held in Amman, Jordan later this year. They secured an 87-62 victory over the hosts in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Saturday.
This four-day tournament was a good testing ground for the young Indian team before facing the best Asian countries in September later this year. The Indian team entered the tournament as the reigning champions.
A close first half
The final match against the hosts was much closer than the scoreline suggested, as Sri Lanka put up a solid fight in the first half. The Indian team had a mere lead of three points at the end of the first quarter, 19-16.
However, the hosts came back strong in the second quarter to take the lead over the Indians. Nevertheless, the Indian side kept the pressure on them and ended the second quarter on level terms, 43-43.
Eventually, the second half became very one-sided as the Indians found their form, curated a few good dunks, and gained a formidable lead. They then closed the match comfortably in the final quarter, confirming their spot at the Asia Cup.
The Indian team demonstrated full domination in this tournament, topping the pool stage with three consecutive high-scoring wins. They started with a victory against the hosts with an impressive score of 88-44 at full time.
They followed this up in the next two pool matches against the Maldives and Bangladesh, scoring more than 100 points in both matches. They secured a 117-114 win over the Maldives and a 110-37 win against Bangladesh.
The Maldives team clinched the bronze position in this four-nation tournament after a very close victory (59-57) over Bangladesh in the third-place playoff.