MUHARRAQ and Isa Town marched through to the quarter-finals of the Khalifa bin Salman Cup, following easy wins last night at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam.
Muharraq had a 60-point first-half that helped inspire them to a 117-44 win over Samaheej. Isa Town, meanwhile, trounced Sitra 75-46 for their own lopsided victory.
Both games were from the left side of the tournament bracket, where the quarter-finals are now set. Muharraq move on to face dangerous rivals Al Ahli in what is set to be a mouth-watering do-or-die game, while Isa Town go head to head with Al Ettihad.
In Muharraq’s win yesterday, the defending Cup champions were unrelenting in the opening period, scoring 31 points while allowing just four for Samaheej. Their high-scoring and tough defence continued in the second quarter, as they took a massive 60-11 lead heading into the break.
Muharraq were just too much for their rivals in the game, and they led by as many as a massive 75 points.
Muharraq had the game virtually won early on that none of their starting five played over 20 minutes in the contest.
Ageless big man Ahmed Mutawa came off the bench to finish as the game’s top scorer. The former national team captain had 25 points and eight rebounds.
Ali Abbas had 22 points for the winners including four three-pointers, while American professional Arnett Moultrie added 21 markers and 10 rebounds.
In Isa Town’s triumph, they too raced out to an early advantage, went ahead by as many as 35 points, and never looked back. He made an impressive six three-pointers in the game. Habeeb Sami contributed 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Hassan Ramadhan also had an all-around effort of 12 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.
The quarter-finals are now set on both the left and right sides of the bracket. The next games follow later this week.