BAHRAIN last night started theirt title defence successfully defeating Oman 85-49 in their opening match of the Sixth GCC Under-16 Basketball Championship at Shabab Al Ahli Club in Dubai.
The championship officially kicked off on Sunday with five teams - Oman, defending champions Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, hosts UAE and Qatar. The championship will conclude on Saturday and it will be a qualifier for the next Asian Under-17 championship.
Bahrain clearly dominated the game against Oman and it was reflected in the scores of the first three quarters - 23-14, 27-14, 23-6.
Though Oman clinched the fourth quarter 15-12, it was not enough to change the final result.
Bahrain’s top scorer was Ammar Yousif with 22 points. Ali Zainal contributed 13, Oman Abdulla 14, Mohsin Ali eight, Hassan Aziz seven and Ali Mahmood five.
In today’s match, Bahrain take on Saudi Arabia at 4pm, Bahrain time. The Saudis have already won their first two matches.
Meanwhile, the GCC Basketball Organising Committee held a meeting yesterday, headed by chairman Abdullatif Al Fardan.
The committee decided to postpone the upcoming GCC Men’s Basketball Championship which was to be held in October this year. It will now be held next year.
The committee confirmed the schedule of the upcoming 39th GCC Basketball Clubs Men’s Championship in Oman from April 24 to May 3.