The campaign of the Sri Lanka Under-16 Ladies’ team ended as the Runners-Up at the South Asia Basketball Association (SABA) Under-16 Qualifiers Championship, which was held in the Maldives from 12th to 15th of June 2025, at the Youth Center Indoor Stadium in Male City.
In the Final, the fearless Sri Lankan lasses battled hard against the formidable Indians, but were finally beaten with a score of 103 – 52. Hence, the Indian girls qualified for the prestigious FIBA Asia Cup 2025, representing the South Asian region.
>>Sri Lankan lasses down to India; thump Bangladesh and Maldives<<
Sri Lanka started the scoring as Fathima Taharah Arzoon was successful with a couple of free throws. However, later, the Indian girls came back and dominated the half as they managed to score 29 points. The Sri Lankan girls worked hard to accumulate 15 points. The Vice Captain of the side, Pramuditha Chandrasekara, had a brilliant 3-point shot, while she and Taharah Arzoon made the major contributions to the score. (First Quarter SL 15 – 29 India)
In the 2nd quarter, the Indians attacked hard to extend their lead. In the early stage of the quarter, the Indian girls made back-to-back buckets due to poor defense by the Lankans. Later, Sri Lanka recovered from their mistakes and gave a good fight. During the quarter, Sri Lankan Skipper Binuthi Rasandhi and Tinara Perera scored excellent 3 pointers from nowhere to cut the deficit. The well-coordinated attack and defense of the Indians kept Sri Lanka at bay, though the Sri Lankan team managed to stay within striking distance. During the quarter, Indians scored 23 points, while Sri Lanka fought back with 16 points. (Second Quarter SL 31 – 52 India)
The third quarter was disastrous for Sri Lanka, as Indians managed to dominate by scoring another 31 points. Sri Lanka managed to add just another 7 points due to low shooting and passing accuracy. At the end of the third quarter, the game was out of the reach of Sri Lankan girls. (Third Quarter SL 38 – 83 India)
In the final quarter, the Indians kept extending their lead and managed to score another 20 points. Even the Sri Lankan girls showcased some sort of progress by scoring another 14 points. During the quarter, Binuthi and Taharah Arzoon had the major contribution of points for Sri Lanka.
(Full Time score: SL 52 – 103 India)
Almost each and every Indian girl was taller than the Sri Lankan lasses, and with that advantage, they were able to collect nearly 90% of rebounds. Hence, the Indians had more scoring opportunities than the islanders. Further, the Indian girls had better techniques in the open play and better passing and shooting accuracy.
>>Binuthi to steer Sri Lanka Under 16 Girls eam at SABA Championship 2025<<
Though the Indian girls were outstanding throughout the tournament, the young talent from St. Bridget’s Convent, Fathima Taharah Arzoon, stood tall in each and every minute that she played in the same way. As Tharah is still 14 years old, she is definitely a bright future prospect in Sri Lanka Women’s Basketball. Furthermore, the Skipper Binuthi Rasandhi, Tinara Shanali Perera, and the Vice Captain Pramuditha Bhupali Chandrasekara showcased a good performance for the Runner-Up side.
In the third-place match, the hosts, Maldives, battled against the young Bangladesh side. The lasses from the Maldives clinched the third place by winning comfortably with an 86-22 victory.
 Under-16 Qualifiers Championship, which was held in the Maldives from 12th to 15th of June 2025, at the Youth Center Indoor Stadium in Male City.){kind=link}