Pranav Prince’s Indian Bank knocks out KSEB to enter Feasto basketball final

The line-up for the finals of the Feasto Golden Jubilee Basketball Tournament in Kozhikode was finalised on Saturday. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) won’t be able to vie for a double as their men’s team was knocked out in the semifinals by the favourites, Indian Bank, Chennai.

The KSEB women had booked their date in the final on Friday with an unbeaten run in the league stage. KSEB will take on South Central Railways in the women’s final.

The Indian Bank defeated KSEB, 76-60, after a thrilling opening quarter that was tied at 15. For the Indian Bank, Muin Bek shot a game-high 25 points, while Malayali ace Pranav Prince made 12 points.

The bankmen will clash with the dark horses, Young Orions, Bengaluru, who edged ICF, Chennai, 86-84 in a thrilling second semifinal. The Young Orions bounced back after trailing 52-57 at halftime.

With a tighter defence, the Bengaluru side reduced the deficit to just a point (64-65) going into the final quarter. Abhishek Gowda was impressive with 38 points for Young Orions, while Praveen Kumar and Anto B made 28 points each for ICF.

Meanwhile, in the decisive women’s league game, SCR drubbed ICF, 94-58, with Harshitha B scoring 23 points. The women’s final will start at 5 pm, and will be followed by the men’s title match.