Karnataka’s women and Uttar Pradesh’s men booked their places in the finals of the 41st Youth National Basketball Championship on Monday, both winning thrilling semi-finals at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune.

The women’s final will pit Karnataka against the winner of the second semi-final between hosts Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The men’s final will see Uttar Pradesh face either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. Both finals are now set, and both semi-finals were decided in the closing minutes of the match.

Karnataka Survives a Kerala Surge in the Girls’ Semi-Final

Karnataka beat Kerala 55-51, but the game did not go to plan for the winners for most of the afternoon. Kerala started with precision and purpose. The team used its offensive execution, led by Subhadra Jayakumar and Akshara K, to build an early 13-point cushion. Kerala took the first quarter 21-8.

Kerala stayed in control for much of the contest. Karnataka, however, found its shooting rhythm in the second quarter. The team enforced crucial defensive stops and levelled the score at 23-23 at halftime, turning a comfortable lead into a fight.

The second half became a see-saw battle. Kerala dominated inside the paint and scored 32 points there, but Karnataka’s deep bench and quick transition play kept the team within striking distance. Karnataka trailed 36-39 as the final quarter began, and few observers would have expected the lead to change hands so quickly.

Then the momentum swung. Karnataka forced crucial turnovers in a high-octane fourth quarter and turned those mistakes into 26 points.

In a high-octane fourth quarter, Karnataka forced crucial turnovers and converted them into 26 points.

Captain Mahek Sharma delivered a clutch double-double, and Karnataka closed the game with a decisive 12-0 scoring run. That burst gave the team the lead and sealed the win. Mahek Sharma finished with 19 points, HS Shreshta added 13 and SM Vibha chipped in 8. For Kerala, Subhadra Jayakumar scored 14, Akshara K added 13 and Malavika V put up 8.

Uttar Pradesh Wins a Two-Point Thriller on the Boys’ Side

The boys’ semi-final was just as tense. Uttar Pradesh pulled off a sensational fourth-quarter comeback to beat Tamil Nadu 83-81, and it needed every bit of its late energy to do so.

Tamil Nadu set the early tone. The team scored an explosive 27 points in the opening quarter and held a 55-46 rebounding advantage, which gave it repeated second-chance opportunities. For much of the first three quarters, it looked like Tamil Nadu would control the pace.

Uttar Pradesh refused to fold. In the final quarter, it deployed a punishing transition game and outscored Tamil Nadu 30-22. The team also converted Tamil Nadu’s turnovers into 19 points, a stretch that turned a deficit into a lead.

Bench player Pawan Pachauri was the difference-maker in that final stretch. He contributed a crucial 15 points and helped secure the dramatic two-point victory in front of a packed crowd of 300 spectators. Jatin Sharma scored 21 points and Darshil Singh added 19 for the winners. Tamil Nadu got 26 from Kaushik Raj Singh, while Sarvesh Raghu and P Fyodor Athithan each scored 16.

What the Finals Set Up

Both finals now carry a clear storyline. Karnataka’s women have shown they can recover from a deficit and close out a game with a burst of scoring. Uttar Pradesh’s men have shown they can win a tight game by relying on transition play and the depth of their bench.

The women’s final will bring Karnataka up against the winner of the Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu semi-final. Maharashtra are the hosts, and the match will be played in front of home support in Pune. The men’s final will see Uttar Pradesh face either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, with that opponent still to be decided.

For young players in the 41st edition of the championship, the stakes are simple. One lost possession, one missed rebound or one quiet quarter can end a dream. Both semi-finals on Monday showed how quickly a game can turn when a team finds its rhythm at the right moment.

The results also showed how much depth matters. Karnataka’s win came after its deep bench kept it in the contest during a tough stretch, and Uttar Pradesh’s win came after a bench contribution from Pawan Pachauri in the decisive moments. In a tournament where the margins are this thin, those contributions can make the difference between a final berth and an early exit.

Fans who came to the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Monday saw two games that refused to settle early. Karnataka’s women climbed back from a 13-point early deficit. Uttar Pradesh’s men came from behind in the last quarter. Both teams now have a chance to add a national title to a story built on comebacks.