BASKETBALL – AL Najma took advantage of an undermanned Al Ahli in a 75-66 victory last night in their Premier League clash of the 2024-25 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Ahli, who were playing without a professional, led early in the contest but Najma took control late in the second period. They went ahead then by as many as 12 points, and after briefly giving up the advantage in the third, closed the quarter strong and never looked back.
Tyler Wilkerson had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Najma’s scorers, while Robert Lowery almost had a triple-double with a fine all-around performance of 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Husain Mohammed was their only other player in double figures with 11.
Ahmed Alderazi paced Ahli in the loss with 19 points, while Hesham Sarhan added 13 and Ali Hussain had 10.
Najma captured their fifth win in eight outings on the Premier League standings, while Ahli dropped their fifth game to go with three victories.
Meanwhile, in another Premier League contest this week, Al Hala came away with a 74-64 victory over Al Ettihad.
Hala turned back a slim, two-point deficit at the half with a resounding third quarter, where they outscored Ettihad 21-12, to take a 60-53 advantage into the final frame. There, they built their biggest lead of the contest of 14, 72-58, following an Ahmed Khalifa basket en route to closing out their double-digit win.
Khalifa top scored for Hala with 25 points while also taking down 10 rebounds, while Abdulqader Thani added 17 to go with eight boards. Both players were on the court for the full 40 minutes.
Hassan Fahad had 18 points while Ali Jassim added 11 for Ettihad in the loss.
With the result, Hala claimed their third win in eight tries in the Premier League, while Ettihad suffered their ninth defeat.
Also this week, in League B, Isa Town claimed an 83-79 triumph in overtime against Bahrain Club.
The two teams were deadlocked at 74-all at the end of regulation. Then, in the extra session, back-to-back three-pointers from Jehad Ahmed and Nooh Qaedi gave them the lead for good.
Ahmed finished with 19 points to lead five Isa Town players in double figures, while Qaedi scored 16 and Habib Sami had 15.
For Bahrain Club, Hamad Jassim had 26 points while Mohsin Ali Hussain chipped in with 21.
Isa Town claimed their third win after eight assignments in League B while Bahrain Club suffered their fifth loss to go with two wins.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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