BASKETBALL – A league-and-cup double was the only expectation for Muharraq’s senior men’s basketball team this 2024-25 season – and they have now achieved their goal.
This was revealed by Muharraq captain Bader Abdulla Malabes, who helped his team secure the impressive feat yesterday night when they edged past Al Ahli 80-76 in the fifth and final game of their best-of-five championship series in the Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
The result closed out their thrilling league finals match-up against Ahli 3-2, and it added to their crown in the Khalifa bin Salman Cup, where they beat Manama in the single-game title-decider held earlier last month.
“The only result our team was expecting was to win both championships, and thank God we were able to get both,” Malabes told the GDN.
“This year has been a very successful one for our team. This is the second time in Muharraq history that we have won the league and the cup together – both times, I was with the team, first in 2012 and now again this season – so this is very special for us and it means a lot.”
Malabes was a key figure in yesterday’s winner-take-all fifth game, which was an exciting affair. Muharraq were dominant in the early stages and led by as many as 17 points in the opening half as they took a commanding 41-28 advantage into the break.
But Ahli soared in the third period, completely erasing the deficit by erupting for 30 points while holding Muharraq to just 15 to take a 58-56 edge into the final frame. There, Ahli appeared to be headed towards completing their comeback victory when a Dominique Sutton basket made it 70-62 with only six minutes remaining.
But Muharraq roared back and put together 11 unanswered points, capped by a pair of Malabes free-throws, to regain the lead. A Hesham Sarhan triple with a minute-and-a-half to play gave Ahli life as they tied it at 75-apiece, but a split from the charity stripe by Keron Deshields and then another pair of freebies from Malabes put them in front for good.
Sir Dominic Pointer pegged the final score from the foul line right before the buzzer.
Deshields finished as Muharraq’s top scorer with 22 points, while Wayne Chism added 12 points and 15 rebounds. Pointer scored 15, and Tony Mitchell contributed 14 off the bench. Malabes scored seven and Mohammed Juma’a had six for Muharraq.
Elijah Thomas finished with 23 for Ahli in their narrow defeat while Sutton had 16 and Ali Hussain scored 13.
Following the game, Cabinet Affairs Ministry undersecretary, Olympic Council of Asia vice-president, and Bahrain Olympic Committee vice-president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa presented Muharraq and Ahli their respective trophies and medals, in the presence of other officials, including Bahrain Basketball Association president Alaa Mudara.
Mudara commended the patronage of Shaikh Isa for attending the Zain Bahrain Basketball League title-clincher and for crowning Muharraq as champions.
He congratulated Muharraq on their well-earned victory and commended both teams for their high-level performances in a historic five-game series.
He also emphasised the significance of the royal support and the role it plays in advancing local sports, thanking all clubs, sponsors, and staff for their contributions to a successful season.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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