BASKETBALL – Bahrain's youth men’s basketball national team secured their place in the knockout stages yesterday of the Fiba U16 Asia Cup 2025, currently being played in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The Bahrainis wrapped up their schedule in the tournament’s preliminary round with a resounding 111-80 victory over their counterparts from India in their concluding Group A assignment.
The win was their second in a row after opening the competition with a heavy loss to continental powerhouses and three-time defending champions Australia. They then bounced back with a stunning, come-from-behind victory over Lebanon before their big win yesterday against India.
Bahrain’s twin towers of Hassan Abdulkadir and Somto Patrick Onoduenyi were a force in the contest, registering a sensational ‘30-30’ game. Abdulkadir top scored for the victors with a monster 31 points and 21 rebounds, while Onoduenyi contributed 30 points and 18 boards.
With the result and after finishing second on their division’s table, Bahrain qualified for the play-off round where they will vie for a place in the quarter-finals. The nationals will be taking on the Philippines in the opening elimination stage. The game is scheduled for tomorrow at 6.30am, Bahrain time. The winners will move on to face Asian basketball giants China in the elite eight, which is set to be held on Friday.
The Bahrainis, coached by Tunisian tactician Racem Marzougui, were ranked behind the Australians on the final standings of Group A. Australia defeated Lebanon 73-61 in yesterday’s other clash in the pool to clinch their berth directly in the quarters.
Lebanon will also be playing in the play-offs tomorrow. They will be facing Chinese Taipei, with the victors moving on to clash with Japan.
In other play-off fixtures, South Korea take on Kazakhstan for the right to play Australia in the last eight, while Iran face off with Malaysia with the winners marching forward to go up against New Zealand.
India, Indonesia, hosts Mongolia, and Saudi Arabia were eliminated from further contention and take up the 13th to 16th positions on the tournament’s final ranking.
In Bahrain’s win yesterday, they had a slow start as India led by as many as six points in the opening quarter. But after Mohammad Raza Khan scored to make it 21-15 and just three minutes left in the period, the nationals came alive and closed strong, going on a game-changing 15-6 run.
They took a slim 30-27 lead into the second and never looked back. They built a commanding 53-39 cushion at the half, and then stretched their lead even further to 78-60 after three. The Bahrainis never took their foot off the gas the rest of the way, and their 31-point winning margin was also their biggest lead of the contest.
The nationals had two other players finish in double figures in the win. Hussain Fuad Ghuloom contributed 12 points along with seven assists, while Mohamed Adel Abdulla had 10 points and five assists. Both players also registered four steals in the game.
Arman led India’s scorers with 23 points while Shekhar Rathee chipped in with 22 and Krishna Suneriya had 12. They suffered their third straight loss.
Following Friday’s quarters, the semi-finals will be held on Saturday, with the gold and bronze medal contests set for Sunday.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))