BASKETBALL – AL Hala last night retained their place in the premier division for next season’s Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Hala held on to their spot after securing a hard-earned 96-86 victory over Sitra in the third and decisive game of their best-of-three relegation play-off series, played at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town with no fans in attendance.
Their triumph clinched the match-up 2-1 and ensured their return to the kingdom’s top-tier basketball competition for 2026-27. They will be joining Muharraq, Manama, Al Najma, Al Ahli, and recently crowned League Two champions Al Ettihad.
Sitra, on the other hand, will stay in the second division, where they will be playing with relegated side Nuwaidrat, Samaheej, Bahrain Club, and Isa Town.
Hala needed to compete in the play-off after finishing fifth this past regular season in the premier category, while Hala earned the opportunity to go for promotion after finishing as runners-up in League Two.
Both sides will be staying up following last night’s outcome.
In the hotly contested game, Hala were the early aggressors and they took a 22-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In an effort to limit Sitra’s prolific scoring forward Austin Ajukwa – who had 52 points and 44 points in the series’ first two games, respectively – Hala played him man-to-man and often double or triple-teamed him when he had possession.
That did little to deter Ajukwa in the opening half, however, as he had 22 points in the first two quarters alone, helping Sitra keep things close. Ali Mohsen buried a three-pointer to give their team a slim 44-43 lead with seconds to play before the break, but then Hala’s Elijah Love was fouled right before the buzzer, and his two charity shots put them ahead 45-44.
After the re-start, Sitra came alive and took a six-point lead midway through the third following a Mohsen triple that made it 58-52. But Hala didn’t back down and they gradually wrested away control, with an Ahmed Bindayneh lay-up on a fast-break giving them a 72-65 advantage.
Sitra, meanwhile, were also up for the fight and got to within a single possession, 72-74, by the end of the period, setting the stage for the tight finish.
In the final frame, Ajukwa stepped up his play, scoring on a fadeaway jump shot to put Sitra up 79-76. But Bindayneh too was ready to take on the challenge, and he scored five straight points to give Hala back the edge 81-79.
Hala did well to stay in front from there, and an incredible, off-balance triple by Bindayneh made it 93-84 with just over two minutes to go. At this point, Hala did well to force Ajukwa to a series of tough, contested attempts, and Hala held on until the final buzzer – with their final 10-point winning margin also the biggest gap of the night.
Love finished with 32 points to pace Hala while Abdulqader Thani had 25, including an impressive four three-pointers. Bindayneh chipped in with 20 as he fired in three triples, while Nader Shaker came off the bench to score 12 in the win.
Ajukwa ended the game with 38 points but, with Hala hounding him defensively, shot just 10-for-29 from the field. Mohsen and Dhaif Husain Dhaif tried to assist their teammate, and they had 19 and 15 points, respectively.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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