RIFFA carried their impressive form from the Zain Bahrain Basketball League into the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) Cup last night at the Zain Arena in Um Al Hassam routing Isa Town 79-57 in a totally one-sided encounter.
Except for the third quarter of this opening Group ‘B’ match of the tournament, which ended 19-19, Riffa were far superior in all departments of the game.
They, in fact, maintained a double digit lead right through and in the end wrapped up the match with much to spare.
The towering American import Joseph Jones was once again the fulcrum under both the boards and his crisp passes propelled Ali Jassim and Badr Issa into attacking positions.
And Jassim and Badr did not disappoint scoring 20 and 13 points respectively while Jones himself contributed 14.
Mohammed Khalid (11) and Reda Elias (9) were the other main scorers for Riffa.
Mansoor Jaber was Isa Town’s hero in a lost cause, single-handedly waging a valiant battle scoring 24 points while Mohammed Habib (15) and Habib Sami (9) were the other main scorers.
Isa Town had to blame themselves for another toothless performance as they offered very little resistance, conceded the ball easily and let the Riffa shooters score from almost all angles with ease.
Also, Riffa were opportunistic right through and grabbed their chances with both hands, particularly outside the semi-circle, scoring 10 three pointers.
Riffa grabbed the initiative right at the start and raced to a 22-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. They stretched it to 40-21 by half-time.
Though the third quarter was a balanced affair ending 19-19, Riffa by then had inflicted enough damage not to give cause for any worry.
Riffa are fourth in the Zain Bahrain Basketball League with 19 points from 11 matches (8-3).
For Isa Town, who are 12th and at the bottom of the league without a victory, it was their 12th loss.
NEXT MATCH
Sunday (Group ‘A’)
5.30pm: Muharraq vs Al Najma