September 22, 2025

HYDERABAD: What a nail-biter! India’s U-16 girls basketball team grabbed a thrilling 67-66 victory against Iran to win the FIBA Asia Cup Division B championship in Malaysia on Friday. The star of the show was Viha Reddy, who scored a sizzling 21 points, with Aditi Subramanian adding a strong 19 points. This win ended India's five-year wait to return to Division A, where Asia’s top eight teams compete. The Indian team was unstoppable throughout the tournament, going undefeated with a perfect 5-0 record — their first championship since 2017! Viha Reddy, from Rockwell International School and the team’s vice-captain, played a crucial role in this big success. In the final clash, India took a confident lead early and stayed ahead for almost the whole match. With only 17 seconds left, India was leading by four points and cleverly let Iran score a three-pointer so they could get the ball back. The tension peaked as the clock ticked down to four seconds, but India held their nerve and sealed the victory. Here's how the points flew across the quarters: 17-13, 15-19, 20-10, and 15-24 in India's favor. Over the seven-day championship, India beat Iran twice, defeated Uzbekistan and Samoa in the league stage, and then overcame Indonesia 65-53 in the semi-finals. The masterminding behind this winning team was former India shooting guard Anitha Paul Durai, the head coach. Overflowing with pride, she said, "Our focus was to get promoted. I am very proud of my players. They had the hunger to play, they wanted to win, and they did it in style. This is the future of the Indian team." Final match details: India (Viha Reddy Jonnalagadda 21, Aditi Subramanian 19, Reva Kulkarni 13, Mahek Sharma 10) defeated Iran (Mobina Bereihi 30) 67-66. Semifinal action: India (Viha Reddy 22, Reva Kulkarni 17, Mahek Sharma 12) beat Indonesia (Inez Welly 13) 65-53. With such spirit and skill, Indian girls basketball is shining bright on Asia’s biggest stage!

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Tags: Fiba u-16 asia cup, India basketball, Viha reddy, Aditi subramanian, Basketball championship, Malaysia tournament,