BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S Al Hala Club claimed their first and only victory yesterday of the 26th Arab Women’s Clubs Championship, currently being played in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Hala wrapped up their tournament campaign with a resounding 105-71 victory over Al Qurain from Kuwait.
The Bahrainis took control of the contest in the closing minutes of the second quarter as the two teams headed towards the break. They then blew the game wide open with a sensational second half, where they more than doubled their opponents’ output.
Their final 34-point winning margin was also their biggest lead of yesterday’s clash.
The result earned Hala a well-deserved win in the competition after a series of tough, narrow losses. They first fell to Association du Groupement Sportif Cosider from Algeria by just two points, and then had a heart-breaking one-point loss to Sharjah from the UAE. They went down fighting in an eight-point defeat to Saudi hosts Al Ula, and then suffered a seven-point defeat against Al Fatat SC, also from Kuwait.
A 33-point setback against Fuheis SC from Jordan was their lone heavy defeat of the competition, which led up to their convincing victory yesterday after back-to-back rest days.
Despite their win, Hala were not able to secure a place in the medal contests. The top two teams from the preliminary phase moved on to face off in the gold medal game, while the third and fourth-ranked squads play for the bronze.
Senegalese import Yacine Diop finished as their leading scorer against Qurain with a game-high 35 points. Diop finished with an impressive triple-double as she also took down 12 rebounds and dished out 11 assists in the win.
Star Bahraini guard Bayan Salman chipped in with 28 points, while Seema Hasan added 18. The pair fired in seven three-pointers between them in the contest.
American professional Alexa Nicole Hart contributed 11 points and eight rebounds to Hala’s cause.
Italee Lucas was Qurain’s top scorer with 22, while Ayat Altawheed scored 15.
Hala had a slim 26-24 lead at the end of the first quarter, but they extended it to double digits in the second before taking a 54-45 advantage into the locker rooms.
In the third period, Hala continued to press ahead and their lead ballooned to 80-59. They then closed the game strong, holding Qurain to just 12 points in the final frame.
Two free-throws by Shirin Madwar gave them their largest gap of the contest while also pegging the final score.
Hala were coached in the tournament by Jop Nelson Tandawadon and his assistant Mohamed Abdulla.
The other players on their team roster featured Amina Saleem, Maryam Ebrahim, Jameela Ebrahim, Hessa Aljaber, Aya Kamali, Aysha Alhadi, and Ghadeer Alarayedh.
Hala’s delegation in Saudi was headed by Husain Madan, while the team’s management included Fatima Qambar Nadia Ghuloom.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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