BASKETBALL – Muharraq made easy work of Al Ahli last night in a lopsided 88-58 victory in the eighth week of the 2024-25 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
There was much hype leading up to the contest, with both teams amongst the chief contenders who are looking to dethrone defending champions Manama this season in the Premier League.
But Muharraq asserted their dominance, leading by as many as 31 points late in the final frame to claim their massive triumph.
The winners held their opponents to just 26 points in the first two quarters and were up by 12 at the break, but they then blew the game wide open in the third, outscoring Ahli by 15, 28-13, to take an almost insurmountable 66-39 cushion into the fourth period.
There, it was a mere formality to the final buzzer, as Muharraq secured their fifth win in seven outings and moved to 12 points on the Premier League standings – tied with defending champions Manama, who are undefeated in six games.
Ahli suffered their fourth loss in six tries and went to eight points.
All but one of Muharraq’s 12 players who took to the hardwood got onto the scoresheet. Mohammed Ameer finished with 18 points to lead six players in double figures in the win. Tony Mitchell added 16 and eight assists, while Wayne Chism fired in 15 points and took down 13 rebounds while registering five steals.
Bader Abdulla Malabes, Nader Ali, and Josh Nicholas all had 10 points for Muharraq in their victory.
Elijah Thomas and Ahmed Alderazi were the only two dependables for Ahli yesterday, with Thomas scoring 20 and Alderazi finishing with 13.
In yesterday’s other game at Zain Basketball Arena in Umm Al Hassam, Nuwaidrat posted a massive 103-66 decision over Isa Town in League B.
Nuwaidrat used a 27-15 second quarter to turn a 17-all tie at the end of the first to a 44-32 advantage at the interval.
Nuwaidrat then enjoyed a 32-14 third period to take a commanding 76-46 advantage into the last period, and they cruised from there.
Malik Wineglass had 25 points and 17 rebounds to lead the winners, while Mohamed Salman Ali had 20 off the bench. Nader Shaker scored 14 and Yusuf Merza had 11 for Nuwaidrat.
For Isa Town, Nooh Qaedi scored 17 points while Jehad Ahmed had 16 and Hussain Mahdi 15 in the loss.
Nuwaidrat remained perfect on the League B table with their sixth win in as many contests to go to 12 points, while Isa Town suffered their fifth loss in seven games to improve to nine.
League action continues tonight with another two contests on schedule to wrap up the eighth week of the season. Bahrain Club and Samaheej lock horns at 6pm in League B, and then Manama take on Al Ettihad at 8pm in the Premier League.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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