MUMBAI, DEC 4: A fitter Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana (SNG), Nagpur, forced the pace in the second half and raced past Central Railway to lift the men's title in the XI Bombay YMCA Open basketball tournament, sponsored by Kanara Engineering and United Phosporus, at Ghatkopar YMCA this evening. SNG won 73-52 and extended their undefeated run at Ghatkopar to the third consecutive year.SNG's captain Shatruguna Gokhale said after the match, ``We had decided from the start to increase the pace. We saw Income-Tax lose after playing a slow game yesterday and did not want to make the same mistakes.''Earlier, Fatima Sports Club defeated minnows Agradneya Vyayamshala 45-30 to lift the junior girls' title. The Agradneya team, comprising largely of under-13 players, were no match in speed or momentum for their physically superior opponents. But they put up a brave fight while Fatima played below par.Two performances were key to SNG's success: Hemant Waghade on the offence and the 6'8'' Satish Warrier. Warrier, inparticular, had an open ticket at the offensive board and he made Central Railway pay with 10 points from offensive rebounds. Add to that four blocks and 10 more points off pivots. The tall man, indeed, had a huge game.Waghade kept the scoreboard ticking with crucial baskets; three 3-pointers rung in his 11 first-half points. Losers Central Railway were let down by the lack of offensive arsenal. Veteran international Abdul Hamid Khan `Babu', 41, ploughed a lone furrow, contributing 18 of his team's 27 points in the first-half (conversion 50 per cent). Though Agradneya lost, Gayatri Manolikar stood out, doing well in pivot against tall defenders Anita Krishnan and Vandana Subramony, and was tough in defence. For Fatima, it was the tiny Ami Momaya who shone.RESULTS (ALL FINALS)Men's: SNG, Nagpur 73 (Satish Warrier 20, Hemant Waghade 19, Pankaj Deshmukh 15, Pradeep Mukherjee 10) bt Central Railway 52 (Abdul Hamid Khan 22, Imran Ansari 9). HT: 34-27.Junior girls': Fatima 45 (AnitaKrishnan 12, Ami Momaya 11, Sushma H 8) bt Agradneya Vyayamshala 30 (Gayatri Manolikar 18). HT: 22-12.
