MANAMA punched their semi-final tickets last night while Al Ahli bowed out from further title contention in the 37th GCC Clubs Basketball Championship, being held in Bahrain.
National champions Manama survived a late collapse to escape with a narrow 100-98 victory over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad.
Fellow-Bahrainis Al Ahli, meanwhile, battled hard but came up short in the end against Qatari outfit Al Rayyan 81-89.
In yesterday’s other knockout contests, defending champions Al Ahli of the UAE humiliated Al Etifaq of Oman 108-47 to advance to the final four. Joining them were another Emirati squad in Al Shabab, who were made to sweat by an inspired Al Sadd of Qatar in a 98-93 win.
In tomorrow’s semi-finals, Manama will battle Ahli of the UAE while Rayyan take on Al Shabab.
In Manama’s victory last night, the hosts survived a late rally by Ittihad to come away with the two-point win.
Mohammed Hussain stepped up big when his team needed him the most. He scored the Bahrainis’ final five points in the game, all of which came from the charity stripe. He also led the team with 27 points including five three-pointers.
Versatile forward Mohammed Quwayed chipped in with 21 markers off the bench. Maytham Jameel added 12 points including six rebounds and six assists, Georgian professional Nikoloz Tskitishvili had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Bahamas import Kadeem Coleby finished with 10 points.
Americans Joshua Dollard and Quintrell Thomas scored 32 and 24 points respectively to lead Ittihad, who nearly completed a stunning comeback after outscoring Manama by 14 points in the final quarter.
In Ahli’s defeat, the Bahrainis trailed for much of the contest. They were ignited in the second half by the energy of lightning-quick guard Jassim Abul, and, behind the leadership of Hussain Shaker and Slovenian Primoz Brezec, made one valiant push towards the end.
Sabah Hussain scored on a fast-break lay-up to bring Ahli to within one, 81-82, with just two-and-a-half-minutes remaining, but that was as close as they got as Rayyan’s Mohamed Harat and Mohamed Abdelkawy made key baskets to keep Rayyan afloat before pulling away for the victory.
Shaker and Brezec finished with 23 points apiece. Shaker also had 12 assists while Brezec pulled down 13 rebounds. Hussain chipped in with 14 while Sayed Kadhem Majed had 12.
Harat led Rayyan with 31 points and 18 rebounds. Abdelkawry finished with 21.
Elsewhere, Al Ahli of the UAE were unforgiving in their 61-point demolition of Etifaq.
They opened the game scoring 40 points in the first quarter while only allowing a measly three points from their rivals. They cruised the rest of the way, enjoying leads as big as 68 points.
Sam Young led all scorers with 29 points, while Mitchell Watt added 28. Both American professionals had three triples in the game, while Watt took down 14 rebounds.
American-Nigerian professional Robert Anshila paced Etifaq with 13 points in the loss.
In Al Shabab’s win, the UAE side needed some late heroics from Rashed Alzaabi to get their result. After Faisal Abuissa made a triple to give Sadd a 91-89 lead, Alzaabi took over and scored Shabab’s final nine points.
Alzaabi finished the game with 36 points. Jassim Haji added 22 for Shabab while Sammy Monroe had an impressive all-around performance of 21 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists.
Greek professional Stavros Toutziarakis had 33 points and 15 rebounds to lead Sadd. American Kendrick Brown chipped in with 22 points. Both fouled out late in the fourth quarter, leaving Sadd with just three players on the floor for the closing moments of the game.