DEFENDING champions Manama capped a remarkable 2022-23 season by completing a historic treble last night as they demolished Muharraq 101-83 at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in game three of the best-of-five final series to clinch the Zain Basketball League title – their third trophy win in just three weeks after they won the Khalifa bin Salman Cup late last month and the inaugural FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) just last week.
This was a record 22nd title win – the most by any team – for Manama, who completed the coveted league-and-cup double to go with their FIBA WASL trophy.
Coming into the third game, Manama led 2-0 after having beaten Muharraq, 93-85 and 104-100, in the first two games and quickly sped to a 24-16 lead at the end of the first quarter before heading to the change room at half-time with the scoreboard showing them leading 50-42.
Muharraq, for whom it was the fourth defeat in as many matches against Manama (who beat them in the Khalifa bin Salman Cup final also), looked completely out of sorts against their opponents, who were brimming with confidence after their historic FIBA WASL triumph last Saturday.
Five minutes into the third quarter, Manama had increased their lead to 14 points, at 65-51, and, although Muharraq showed some fighting spirit to reduce it to 11 points, at 73-62, by the time the fourth quarter began, it was apparent to everyone present in the 4,000-seat arena that the defending champions were poised to run away with the game.
“Manama Hoo Ha!” shouted the eventual champions’ fans, who had drenched half the arena in a sea of blue. The chant is a frequent one at all Manama games and is their way of urging the team on.
“Manama Hoo Ha!” replied the Muharraq supporters, who had created an ocean of white and red in the other half. Their retort, using the same phrase uttered by the Manama fans, is supposed to mock their opponents.
But, again, as in the previous three games between the two teams, the joke was on Muharraq as Manama’s overseas star Travin Thibodeaux (with a three-pointer and a two-point layup) and local hero Ali Husain (with a two-pointer) had put their team 18 points ahead, at 80-62, with seven minutes to go in the match.
Soon, with five minutes left till the final buzzer, Manama were leading 86-66 and scores of Muharraq supporters decided they had seen enough and started filing out of the hall.
Meanwhile, the Manama fans were threatening to bring the roof down with their screaming and cheering as the minutes ticked by and their victory looked even more assured.
With about two-and-a-half minutes left, Manama’s lead had risen to 24 after a Hassan Nowrooz three-point jump shot showed the scoreboard reading 97-73 in the defending champions’ favour.
Although, just seconds later, Muharraq’s Bader Abdulla replied with a three-point jump shot of his own to make it 97-76, Manama knew they were in an unbeatable position.
So did the few diehard Muharraq supporters who had decided to stay until the bitter end but even they did not really applaud when, with about a minute and 40 seconds left, Baqer Isa reduced the deficit to 19 with a two-point layup.
They perked up a bit 30 seconds later when Isa scored a three-point jump shot to make it 97-81 and clapped with a little more gusto but quietened down again when, less than 10 seconds later, Manama’s Ammar Mohammed made a two-point layup with the scoreboard now reading 99-81.
With exactly 60 seconds left till full-time, Muharraq’s Abdulla Rabeea scored the final points for his team with a two-point layup but the dozen or so of his team’s fans still in the hall didn’t even bother to clap.
Meanwhile, Manama coach Pantelis Gavriel had decided to give the players on his bench some game time and substituted out Thibodeaux, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Mohammed Ameer and Mustafa Husain – four of the players who have played key roles in their team’s dominance this season – and the quartet linked arms courtside and danced and sang along with their fans as the seconds ticked down to the end of the match.
Fittingly, the electric Ahmed Aldurazi – who, along with Mustafa Husain’s brother, Ali, has also been instrumental in leading Manama to their three trophies this season – scored the final points for his team to make it 101-83 with about 25 seconds left and the Muharraq players decided it was now time for them to throw in the towel.
Off court, the Manama supporters had worked themselves into a frenzy of drum-beating, singing, clapping and dancing and the celebrations continued long after the team had accepted their prize and posed for photographs with it as well as the Khalifa bin Salman Cup and FIBA WASL trophies.
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