Al ETIHAD and Nuwaidrat both barged through to the quarter-finals of the Khalifa Bin Salman Cup last night.
American professional Quinton Meddrick poured in a game-high 42 points to help Etihad stun Al Hala 93-84 on the left branch of the tournament bracket. Nuwaidrat, on the other hand, relied on a balanced attack in a 100-54 manhandling of Al Hidd 100-54 on their side of the bracket.
Yesterday’s games were played at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam. Both winning teams were on either side of the tournament bracket.
Etihad had a strong start in their game against Hala but were made to work extra hard to oust their rivals the rest of the way. They took a commanding 23-10 lead at the end of the first quarter but gradually allowed Hala to fight back as the deficit was cut to 30-39 at the break.
It was a see-saw affair the rest of the way, and Etihad managed to do just enough to keep Hala at bay and grind out the victory.
Meddrick was in a class of his own against Hala. His 42-point performance was complemented by 10 rebounds.
Sayed Mohammed Hameed added 21 points including two three-pointers, while Sayed Hashim Wadaei contributed 12 markers in the win.
Loren Woods had another monster game for Hala but his efforts alone were not enough. He scored 35 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. Hasan Gerashi added 23 including three triples, while Mahmood Abbas had 14.
Etihad now moves on to face the winner of the first round match between Isa Town and Sitra whereas Hala are eliminated further Cup contention. Isa Town and Sitra clash tonight at 5.30pm.
In yesterday’s other contest, Nuwaidrat were the aggressors from the get-go and they used a one-sided second quarter where they outscored Hidd by 23 points to turn a 21-13 lead to a commanding 55-24 advantage. They cruised the rest of the way and now march on to the next stage of eliminations.
Ahmed Khaled led a balanced team effort with 27 points. Giant Serbian professional Mile Ilic contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds. Mohammed Buti had 15 points, and Ebrahim Al Basri added 14. Ahmed Hassan finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds for Nuwaidrat and Hussain Hasan had 10.
Pacing Hidd in the loss was Abdulla Alromaihi with 15 points. Hussain Lulu added 13 as their only other player in double figures.
Nuwaidrat next face Riffa in the quarter-finals on the right side of the tournament bracket. Also playing tonight are reigning Cup holders Muharraq, who face off with Samaheej at 7.15pm.