BASKETBALL – Ahmed Salman buried a three-pointer with 36.9 seconds remaining to help Manama ice a hard-earned 78-73 victory over Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia last night in the 2024-25 Fiba West Asia Super League (WASL).
Salman’s basket gave the Bahrain champions a 75-71 lead and they then did enough to hold on to the slim advantage until the final buzzer. Free throws from American teammate Tony Carr closed out the contest, which was played at the Bahrain Basketball Association Arena in Um Al Hassam.
Despite the crucial result, the Manama missed out on both first place in the Group B standings of the WASL Gulf sub-zone and on a direct berth in the Gulf semi-finals. They instead are the runners-up and must now play in a best-of-three, cross-over play-off for the right to claim one of two available berths in the last four.
Al Qadsia of Kuwait defeated Al Arabi of Qatar 89-77 at Sheikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex in Kuwait City in yesterday’s other divisional fixture. That lifted Qadsia to the top the Group B standings and qualify straight for the semis.
Ittihad finished third ahead of last-placed Arabi, and they will join Manama in the play-offs.
From Group A, Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE have directly qualified for the Gulf’s final four, while Kuwait SC of Kuwait and Bahrain’s Al Ahli will be in the play-offs after finishing second and third, respectively.
The play-off round will feature an exciting, all-Bahraini match-up between Manama and Ahli, long-time rivals in the national game, while Kuwait and Ittihad battle in the other. These fixtures have yet to be scheduled by Fiba Asia.
In last night’s contest, Manama were the early aggressors and led by as many as 16 points in the opening minutes of the second period. They were ahead 21-15 after the first quarter but Ittihad ended the half strong to stay within six, 33-39.
The Saudis rode their momentum into the third and briefly powered to the front, but Manama stayed resilient and a Hassan Nowrooz triple helped the home team stay ahead 56-54 going into the final frame.
There, three consecutive charity shots from Australian import Makur Maker gave Ittihad a 58-56 edge, but Salman fired in from long range to regain the lead for good. It also sparked a key 11-4 run for Manama, capped by a Subah Hussain triple, which made it 67-62. It gave Manama some breathing room with less than four minutes to go.
The Bahrainis did well to maintain their small gap until Ittihad’s Mohammed Almarwani had a slam dunk with 57 seconds left, bringing the visitors to within one, 71-72. But that set the stage for Salman’s late heroics, scoring off an assist from Carr who kicked out to the Manama court general from the paint.
Carr finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists to spearhead the Manama attack, while Salman added 18, which included four three-pointers. Avelon Luke John Jr chipped in with 12 points, while fellow-US pro Clinton Chapman contributed nine points and 11 rebounds.
Maker had 24 points and 16 boards to pace Ittihad in the loss, while American Keron Melique Deshields posted 23 markers. Almarwani scored 18 as their third player in double figures.
The top three teams from the WASL’s Gulf sub-zone, along with the best trio from WASL West Asia, 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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