BASKETBALL – Bahrain's Al Ahli slipped to yet another defeat last night in the Gulf sub-zone of the 2024-25 Fiba West Asia Super League (WASL).
Ahli led for most of the contest against Kuwait SC of Kuwait but were then thoroughly outscored 7-31 in a disappointing final period for a tough 63-77 setback at the Bahrain Basketball Association Arena in Um Al Hassam.
The game was tied at 61-all following a Jordan Alex Stevens three-pointer and more than four minutes still to play. But the Kuwaitis then closed strong, allowing Ahli only two more points the rest of the way – a basket by Elijah Reshard Thomas with just six seconds left on the game clock – while scoring 16 in a decisive rally.
It was a disheartening ending for Ahli in a promising clash. They thus suffered their third loss in four tries in Group A of the WASL Gulf sub-zone’s preliminary round – and first since parting ways with former head coach Jad El Hajj from Lebanon.
El Hajj remains at the helm of Bahrain’s senior men’s basketball national team, however, the Bahrain Basketball Association has confirmed. His sudden departure from Ahli came just days before last night’s Fiba WASL clash, having signed on loan with Beirut Club from his home nation.
Ahli’s loss last night was the second in their two meetings with Kuwait. They had previously also fallen 77-88 in their earlier clash in Kuwait City. Their other loss was a 73-76 result against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai, while their lone victory so far was a 90-52 rout of Al Bashaer Club of Oman.
Last night, Ahli took a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and maintained their narrow advantage at the break, heading into the locker rooms up 33-29 following a Stevens triple just before the half-time buzzer.
In the third, Ahli built a commanding double-digit advantage and led by as many as 13, 56-43, with a minute to go in the period after a Stevens driving lay-up.
But that paved the way for the stunning ending. Ahli could not score over the first four minutes of the concluding frame, allowing Kuwait to go on a 13-0 run that gave them a 61-58 lead. Then, following a Stevens three-pointer that levelled the proceedings at 61-apiece, Kuwait sealed the contest with their furious end-game surge, while allowing the Bahrainis just one more basket until the end.
Stevens finished as Ahli’s top scorer in the loss with 27 points, while also taking down nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Thomas added 21 as the Bahrainis’ only other player in double figures. He also had 16 boards. Hesham Sarhan was their top-scoring Bahraini with seven markers.
Augustine Rubit led all scorers with 28 points for Kuwait, while Briante Weber added 16 and Hamad Hasan had 13.
Ahli return to Fiba WASL action in the new year when they travel to Dubai to take on Shabab Al Ahli on January 13. They then face Bashaer once again in their concluding Group A fixture on January 20 at home.
Ahli are one of two Bahraini clubs competing in this year’s WASL Gulf sub-zone. Manama are the other. They are in Group B and they next take to the hardwood on January 6 in the kingdom against Al Qadisiya, also of Kuwait.
The top seeds in each group after the ongoing double round-robin phase will earn outright berths to the best-of-three semi-finals. The second and third-ranked teams will play in crossover play-offs for a chance to join the last four.
The top three teams from both the Gulf and the WASL’s West Asia sub-zone will qualify for the Fiba WASL Final Eight, where they will be joined by the champions of South and Central Asia.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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