Keystone, St. Francis lift G M Sampath Kumar Trophy

Keystone Basketball Academy (Men) and St. Francis College (Women) emerged champions in the Annual League Basketball Championship 2025–26, organised by the Hyderabad District Basketball Association for the G.M. Sampath Kumar Trophy.

In the women’s final, St. Francis edged past Nizam Basketball Academy 57–55 in a gripping overtime victory. Trailing 21–25 at halftime and locked 48–48 at full time, St. Francis relied on the brilliance of Pari, who delivered crucial points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Amita’s two three-pointers kept Nizam in contention, but St. Francis’ tight defense in extra time sealed the title.

The men’s summit clash saw Keystone BA defeat Titans 75–66 after a fluctuating contest. Keystone led 44–36 at the break, but Titans surged ahead in the third quarter to take a 54–49 advantage. In the final phase, Keystone staged a strong comeback with four three-pointers from Preetham and Saharsh, regaining control and securing a memorable win.

The finals, played on Sunday, witnessed thrilling finishes in both categories. MLA Narayanan Sri Ganesh graced the event as Chief Guest, while TPCC General Secretary Adam Raj Dekapaty and senior leaders presented trophies and cash awards.

Final Brief Scores:

MEN: Keystone Basketball Academy 75 (Saharsh-21; Subhash-17;Preetham-10; Krishya-8; Aryan-8; Pratheek-5; Karthik-4) beat Titans 66 (Salman-16;Nandit-12;Surya-11; Chris-11; Vicky-10) Half Time: 44-36.

WOMEN: St. Francis 57 (Pari-17; Samhita-14; Saniya-11; Hiba-6; Rekha-5) beat Nizam Basketball Academy 55 (Amita-16; Jahnavi-14; Shruti-10; Lasya-9; Khushboo-6) Half Time: 21-25.