MUHARRAQ lifted the 2019 Zain Super Cup last night after outclassing Riffa 84-69 at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam.
The game was the traditional season-opener of the national basketball campaign. It pits the previous year’s league champions against the holders of the Khalifa bin Salman Cip.
Zain Bahrain general manager Mohammed Zainalabedin was on hand to present the Super Cup to Muharraq in the presence of Bahrain Basketball Association officials.
Muharraq had control of the game from the very start and led by as many as 18 points. Riffa were able to fight back to within five in the third period, but they never got any closer as the victors proved to be too good on the night.
Six-foot, 11-inch big man Will Artino from the US led Muharraq in the contest with 28 points while shooting 50 per cent from the field. He also took down 21 rebounds and registered two steals in the win.
Skipper and court general Ahmed Hasan Alderazi added 21 points including three three-pointers, while newly signed forward Mohammed Buallay scored 14 while firing in four triples in the game. Bader Abdulla Malabes chipped in with 11 as Muharraq’s fourth player in double-figures.
Each of their leading scorers played more than 30 minutes apiece, although Muharraq had the advantage of a deeper bench than their rivals.
American professional Rickey Young paced Riffa with 27 points and 17 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in the loss.
Superstar forward Mohammed Kuwayed was their only other player to score over 10 points, finishing with 14 while shooting just 23 per cent from the field.
Muharraq, coached by veteran American tactician Dean Murray, came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the game, taking a quick 26-8 lead which they turned to 28-12 at the end of the first quarter. They continued to cruise in the second period, and by half-time were ahead 40-28.
In the third, however, Riffa managed to storm back and they got to within six points following a Younes Kuwayed driving lay-up. And after Mohammed Kuwayed made one of two free-throws to get his team to within 41-46, Muharraq stormed back to restore their commanding advantage and on a Buallay three-pointer went ahead by 12, 55-43. They ended the quarter up 62-49, and in the fourth did enough to hold off any Riffa comebacks en route to closing out the 15-point triumph.
Neither team shot well from the field in the game, with Muharraq connecting only on 24 off 63 attempts and Riffa making 23 from 67. Muharraq, however, were much better from the free-throw line, claiming another 11 points from the charity stripe with their 90 per cent clip (27/30), as compared to Riffa’s 69 per cent shooting (16/23).
With the completion of the Zain Super Cup, the new season now gets underway on Sunday at the same venue.
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