Calicut Warriors dominate Basketball League Kerala, clinch U-14 and U-19 girls' titles

The Calicut Warriors enjoyed a memorable campaign in the recently concluded Basketball League Kerala (BLK), with their Under-14 and Under-19 girls teams clinching championship titles while the club's boys teams finished runners-up in both categories.

In the Under-14 girls final, Calicut Warriors defeated the Thrissur Tuskers 67-29 in a one-sided contest. Meliza Zacharia led the scoring with 21 points, while B Nazia Fathima added 16 points and Lakshmi T contributed 10.

In the Under-19 girls final, overcoming Kochi Stallions 54-48 in a closely fought encounter. A B Varsha starred with 16 points, while P Siya added 15 as the Warriors secured their second title of the tournament.

The Under-14 boys final produced the most dramatic finish of the tournament as the Kottayam Bisons edged Calicut Warriors 63-60. Trailing 58-60 with just 53 seconds remaining, Dheeraj Dhillon scored a basket to level the contest at 60-60 before sinking the match-winning three-pointer with 13 seconds left on the clock. Jeswin Joseph finished as the top scorer with 17 points, while Dheelaj Dheeraj and Abhiram S. Chand chipped in with 16 points each.

In the final of the Under-19 boys category, Thrissur Tuskers defeated Calicut Warriors 67-53 to claim the championship. Adwaid A S emerged as the top scorer of the contest.

Individual honours were also announced following the tournament. K Akshara of Thrissur Tuskers and Jeswin Joseph of Kottayam Bisons were named Elite MVPs in the Under-14 girls and boys categories, respectively. In the Under-19 division, A B Varsha of Calicut Warriors and Vinay Sankar of Thrissur Tuskers received the Elite MVP awards.

Adding to Calicut Warriors' celebrations, Athul Krishna was named Coach of the Season for guiding the club to two titles and two runner-up finishes.

The tournament was organised by ABC, ACG and Starting Five, with support from title sponsor WattSun and co-sponsors Muthoot Finance, Amalgam and Feasto. A closing ceremony was held after the finals to honour the state champions and outstanding performers of the competition.