Sir’Dominic Pointer and Ali Hussain combined to score 12 points between them in the last five minutes to propel Manama to a come-from-behind, 75-72, win over Muharraq in a pulsating final at the Khalifa Sports City Arena to clinch the 2022-23 Khalifa bin Salman Cup last night.
Muharraq held the edge when the match entered its final five minutes as they led 65-63. Just seconds later, a three-point jump shot by Hussain Salman pushed their lead to five points with the scoreboard reading 68-63.
Half a minute later, a two-point jump shot by Pointer brought the deficit down to three for Manama at 65-68 and, after another 60 seconds, Pointer netted a three-point jump shot to level the score at 68-68 and send the Manama fans – who had packed the arena to capacity with their Muharraq counterparts three hours before the start of the game – into a joyous frenzy.
With barely three-and-a-half minutes left, it was anybody’s game and both team’s supporters – the Muharraq fans in a sea of white in half the stadium with the Manama contingent creating an ocean of blue in the other half – threatened to bring the roof down with their cheering and clapping.
Soon, Dajuan Summers put Muharraq ahead again with a two-point jump shot to make it 70-68 and, as the seconds ticked past, the cheering and singing from their fans became louder.
But, after a series of missed opportunities by both sides, it was the Manama fans’ turn to roar loudly as Hussain sank a lovely, three-point jump shot to put his team ahead, 71-70, with just under two minutes left.
Thirty seconds later, the Muharraq contingent cheered loudly twice in quick succession as Dewayne Jackson calmly deposited two free throws with the 2016-17 champions now leading 72-71 and slightly more than a minute left till the final buzzer.
Then, after another sequence of missed chances by both teams, Pointer made a two-point driving layup and suddenly Manama had a real chance of winning the game with just 39 seconds left as they led 73-72.
Muharraq had a chance of going ahead barely a quarter of a minute later but Summers missed a two-point jump shot with about 20 seconds to go and the fans in white sensed that the game might be up as heads began to drop in the stands.
And, when, with 12 seconds to go, Manama were awarded two free throws because of a personal foul on Hussain which he then coolly deposited into the hoop, the 2017-18 champions led 75-72 and their fans had already begun to celebrate.
There was still time enough, however, for Muharraq to make one last, desperate attempt to try and draw level and push the game into a five-minute playoff and, for a few seconds, it looked like they might just pull it off as their players made a mad scramble around the Manama area.
But a back throw by Hussain Salman to Summers was too high and just eluded the tall player’s grasp and as he ran after the ball, the buzzer sounded, sending the Manama players into group celebratory hugs and their fans into paroxysms of joy.
Earlier, Manama had dominated proceedings, leading 22-17 at the end of the first quarter and 42-33 at half-time.
But Muharraq roared back into the contest in the third quarter, leading 57-55 when it ended and, for the first half of the last quarter, looked like they were going to run away with the game until the stunning Pointer- and Hussain-led turnaround.
adnan@gdnmedia.bh
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