MUMBAI, MARCH 5: Indian Bank were billed to meet Tisco in the title clash. Instead, the Chennai side will battle with the Jamshedpur side in the semi-finals after losing 75-61 to Vijaya Bank in the deciding Group B clash of the inaugural Bombay YMCA All-India invitational basketball tournament at the Chembur YMCA court, Gandhi Maidan, here today.Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank were assured of a semi-final spot but the their clash decided the winners of Group B. In Group A, Tisco cantered through to another victory an 84-62 over Madras Customs.Tisco will meet Indian Bank in the first semi-final while Vijaya Bank will clash with Madras Customs in the second.The Indian Bank-Vijaya Bank match was contest between a team of stars and another resourceful in nature. The usefulness of all their five players and their common-sense approach helped Vijaya Bank defeat the Chennai side laden with three internationals.Indian Bank looked overconfident and lethargic throughout. They betrayed a constipated mind forthe full 40 minutes with their display. With Saravanan, Jayshankar Menon and CV Sunny in their ranks could have done better.The tactic of using Saravanan as a long-range shooter and Sunny for driving was far from beneficial. The latter was blocked out and denied any shots.Sunny's pleas to be substituted went unheeded. There was barely a replacement when it came to drive in and break open the defence. Saravanan was shooting well initially with his one-handed shots but he could not have gone on forever.Indian Bank's defence was not water-tight either. The huge gaps which they left were well exploited by Vijaya Bank's fast-moving players. Their passing was the key and the star of the show was BS Goutham. His cool head and brilliant distribution were a feature and he expectedly won the Man of the Match Award.The other player who was outstanding was Murali Mohan, who top-scored with 26 points. More importantly, when Indian Bank made a last-ditch effort and came close at 56-63 with 4.37 minutes left, itwas Mohan who scored two clutch baskets that helped his side tide over their opponents' resurgence.Indian Bank's revival was partly due to the confidence gained by the exit of a key player from Vijaya Bank - Venkatnarayan - who fouled out with 6.13 minutes left. But substitute G Dilip, who represented India in the 1980 Olympics, filled the breach admirably.The Tisco-Madras Customs clash was a big yawn. Tisco were confident and Madras Customs never did anything to shatter their confidence. Tisco could go into the match without one of their regular players - Jaldeep Dhaliwal. Tisco have come with only six players.ResultsGroup A: Tisco 84 (Shahid Qureshi 21, N S Rawat 13, Mohammed Islauddin 15, Cyril Miranda 11) bt Madras Customs (P Devanathan 17, Satish Kumar 13, Joseph Xavier 10). Group B: Vijaya Bank 75 (Venkatnarayan 17, Stalin 8, Murali Mohan 26, B S Goutham 13) bt Indian Bank 61 (B Saravanan 23, G Jayashankar Menon 19).Semi-final line-up: Tisco vs Indian Bank; MadrasCustoms vs Vijaya Bank.
