BASKETBALL – Al Hala rallied late to come away with a hard-earned 86-75 victory over Nuwaidrat last night in gameweek eight of the 2025-26 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Hala battled back from six points down in the fourth quarter to finish strong and register their double-digit victory.
Nader Shaker scored on a tip-in with just over three-and-a-half minutes remaining to give his team the lead for good at 74-73.
Four straight points from teammate Abdulqader Thani then helped Hala stretch their advantage to five, and they then scored eight of the game’s last 10 points – part of a decisive 14-2 run – to close out the contest.
Nuwaidrat were in command for most of the night, powering ahead by as many as 12 in the first quarter, which they ended 25-16 up.
They continued to stay in control in the second although Hala narrowed the gap to just three, 39-42, at the break.
Things remained close after three, with Nuwaidrat leading by just a single possession, 63-61.
But that set the stage for Hala’s end-game surge, which helped them secure only their second win after eight outings in the league’s top-tier premier division.
Nuwaidrat, on the other hand, suffered their seventh loss to go with a single triumph.
Shaheed Davis poured in 28 points to spearhead Hala in the win.
His output included an impressive five three-pointers, while he also took down 16 rebounds and registered four blocked shots.
Thani chipped in with 19 off the bench while Ahmed Bin Daina had 14 for Hala.
Quinton Rose was Nuwaidrat’s top man with 28 points, while Murtadha Salman had 19 and Hassan Abbas 11.
Meanwhile, also last night in the lower-tier League B, Al Ettihad defeated Sitra 92-82.
Ettihad bounced back from a subpar start to take control of the game in the second quarter and they built leads as big as 20 points in the final frame.
Sitra, however, were able to reduce the deficit to single digits late on, until a pair of Feras Ali free-throws with seconds remaining helped Ettihad claim the 10-point decision.
Romeo Enan top scored for the victors with 23 points while he also grabbed a monster 17 rebounds.
Isa Jassim Juma chipped in with 17 while Mohamed Ghazwan added 12 and Fadhel Abdulelah had 10 points.
Austin Ajukwa led all scorers with 34 points for Sitra in the loss.
Ali Mohsen contributed 22 and Mahdi Abdulameer had 13.
Ettihad maintained their unbeaten record in League B with their sixth successive victory, while handing Sitra their third loss in seven outings.
Action in the 2025-26 Zain Bahrain Basketball League is scheduled to resume on Thursday.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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