BASKETBALL – MANAMA crashed out of the 37th Arab Basketball Championship for Men’s Clubs yesterday in Dubai, the UAE.
The kingdom’s representatives’ title bid came to a halt following a tough 75-81 defeat to Kazma of Kuwait in their quarter-final clash.
Manama failed to capitalise on a commanding 14-point cushion early in the second period. They battled until Kazma took the lead for good, 69-67, following an Abdulla Ibrahim Yunus three-pointer with just six minutes to play.
The Bahrainis tried to stay in the fight and a Mohammed Buallay triple brought them to within a single possession at 75-78 with 51 seconds to go. But three free-throws from skipper Ahmed Albalushi on separate possessions helped the Kuwaitis close the contest out in the dying seconds.
Manama had a good start to the game and were up 23-12 at the end of the first. An Ali Jaber three-pointer then put them ahead 26-12 to begin the second, and they took a 41-35 advantage into the break.
The Kuwaitis trimmed their deficit to 55-59 after three, setting the stage for the final frame, where they sealed the win in the end.
Jaber finished as Manama’s leading scorer in the loss with 17 points, while Imran Haider Ali added 14 off the bench and Buallay scored 13. Carl Jones had 11 points and nine rebounds, while Ahmed Salman scored 10.
Philip Green paced Kazma with 18 points, while Albalushi had 14 and Jajuan Johnson scored 13. Manama ended the tournament with just one win in five games, which came in the opening knockout stage when they upset Al Qadsia from Kuwait.
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