BASKETBALL – SOMTO Patrick Onoduenyi banked in the game-winner with 4.8 seconds remaining to lift Bahrain to a thrilling, come-from-behind 70-68 victory over Lebanon yesterday in the Fiba U16 Asia Cup 2025, currently being held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Onoduenyi came up with the game’s biggest plays in the home stretch to complete a resounding comeback for the Bahrainis, who faced deficits of up to 14 points in the second half.
Onoduenyi had a game-tying basket off the glass with less than a minute remaining and then made an emphatic block – one of his whopping nine in the contest – on a lay-up attempt by Lebanese guard Charbel El Herera. Two go-ahead efforts by Lebanon’s Johnny Sawma were then off the mark, setting the stage for Onoduenyi’s end-game heroics.
With only 9.7 seconds left on the clock, the towering 15-year-old received an inbounds pass near mid-court, dribbled down the floor, and hit an off-balanced shot to give the Bahrainis the stunning lead. They then defended well following a Lebanon timeout to preserve the slim advantage until the final buzzer – earning them their first win of the competition.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Bahrain’s sharp-shooting guard Ali Husain Mohamed also had key contributions. He fired in two long-range three-pointers as part of an 8-0 run that tied the game at 64-all with just under two minutes left.
Onoduenyi nearly finished with a triple-double following his monster effort of 23 points, 23 rebounds, and nine blocks, while also registering four steals and playing all 40 minutes.
With the result, the nationals improved to second place in the Group A table behind only undefeated leaders and three-time defending champions Australia.
The Australians were massive 131-42 winners against India in yesterday’s other divisional clash.
The Bahrainis have one game remaining in the tournament’s preliminary round. It is today against their Indian counterparts, scheduled for a 9am tip-off, Bahrain time. Australia and Lebanon face off in the other Group A fixture today at 6.30am, also Bahrain.
Both results will determine the pool’s final standings and the teams that will advance to the knockout rounds.
After the ongoing single round-robin, the four group winners from this stage will move directly to the quarter-finals, while the teams ranked second and third in each division will play in play-off games on Thursday.
Group B is composed of New Zealand, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, and Indonesia; Group C features China, South Korea, Malaysia, and hosts Mongolia; and Group D comprises Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain, coached by Tunisian tactician Racem Marzougui, are reigning Arab and Gulf Basketball Association champions. They did well yesterday to bounce back from a crushing 47-141 loss against Australia in their opening assignment on Sunday.
The nationals had a strong start against the Lebanese, building a 22-18 lead at the end of the first quarter, during which they went up by as many as 11 points following a Hussain Fuad Ghuloom four-point play that made it 20-9. Lebanon then battled back in the second and closed the half strong, with baskets from Mauricio Abboud and El Herera giving them a slim 33-31 edge at the break.
The Lebanese continued their fine play in the third when a pair of El Herera charity shots gave them their biggest lead of 52-38. The Bahrainis were able to reduce the deficit to 46-54 heading into the final frame, where they mounted their late comeback for the win.
Hassan Abdulkadir, who didn’t play against Australia, scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Bahrain before fouling out, while Mohamed chipped in with 10. Ghuloom and Mohamed Adel Abdulla added eight points apiece in the win.
El Herera and Sawma were joint-top scorers for Lebanon with 17 points apiece, while Abboud had 16.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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