AL AHLI edged out Al Ettihad 77-72 last night to secure a berth in the Golden Square semi-finals of the 2018-2019 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Al Ahli led by as many as 13 points in their final round of six contest and had to survive a late Al Ettihad rally to score the crucial victory.
American professional Marcel Jones gave his team the lead for good with just over two minutes left in the game after scoring on a lay-up that broke a 69-all deadlock.
Jones and captain Hesham Sarhan then contributed baskets in the closing moments to seal the result.
The win ensured Al Ahli a berth in the final four after completing this six-team stage with a 4-1 win-loss record. Ettihad dropped to 1-4 and will have to play a best-of-three series against a yet-to-be-determined opponent to advance to the Golden Square.
Jones led with 27 points. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and had three blocks.
Sarhan chipped in with 17 and five boards while Ali Aqeel came off the bench to score 16, including four three-pointers.
Mile Ilic paced Al Ettihad with 22 points. The Serbian big man also had 18 rebounds and two steals while Hassan Helal added 15 points, Sayed Mohammed Hameed 11 and Ali Ghadeer 10.
Ahli led 20-16 at the end of the first quarter but then Al Ettihad took control in the second to go up 34-27 at half-time. Ahli responded with a 30-point third quarter when they held their opponents to just 10 markers, to head into the final frame up 57-44.
But Ettihad gradually chipped away at the deficit and a pair of Helal free-throws tied the proceedings at 69-apiece.