BASKETBALL – Muharraq and Al Najma took 1-0 leads in their respective Golden Square semi-final series last night in the 2025-26 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Defending champions Muharraq outclassed Al Ahli 90-73 while Najma stunned Manama 78-76 following a late game-winner scored by Donovan Smith in a hugely thrilling clash.
Both contests were played at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town with no fans in attendance.
Yesterday’s two victors will now look to extend their advantage in their best-of-five match-ups when they return to the hardwood for game two on Sunday night.
Muharraq and Ahli face off at 6pm that evening, to be followed by Najma and Manama locking horns at 8pm.
Action will then resume with game three for both series on Wednesday. Games four and five, if necessary, are then slated for April 4 and April 7, respectively.
All fixtures are set to be held at the same venue.
The winners of the Golden Square will then lock horns in the championship series, also to be played best-of-five games.
Should the two semi-finals be decided by game three, the finals will begin on April 5. If they are completed by game four, then the finals will get underway on April 8.
In Muharraq’s win last night, they were in control from the opening tip and went ahead by as many as 21 points in the first half en route to sealing their well-deserved triumph.
They burst out of the gate, taking a 24-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, and never looked back.
Skipper Bader Abdulla Malabes finished as their leading scorer with 19 points, including four three-pointers.
Mahmood Abbas Isa and Nick West chipped in with 15 apiece, while Mohammed Ameer scored 13 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Wayne Chism was Muharraq’s fifth man in double figures with 11.
Ahli were paced by Anthony Fairley’s 17 points, while Maitham Jameel and Hesham Sarhan added 14 each. Ali Shukrallah contributed 12 in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, Najma staged a furious rally in the closing minutes of their game against Manama, fighting back from as many as 10 points down with less than four minutes remaining.
They went on a resounding 11-1 run and tied it at 76-all with 17.8 seconds left following a Mohammed Hussain three-pointer in transition.
Then, after Ali Jaber missed a lay-up on the other end, Najma raced the ball down the floor and Smith scored the go-ahead basket with just 2.3s on the clock.
Smith grabbed an offensive rebound after Hussain missed an off-balance effort and converted the put-back, which turned out to be the decider.
Hasan Nowrooz had a chance to steal the game for Manama after a timeout, but his three-point attempt as the final buzzer sounded bounced off the rim.
Hussain was Najma’s top performer with 25 points while shooting an impressive five-for-six from beyond the arc.
Smith chipped in with 14 and eight rebounds, while Mohammed Kowayed and Hassan Fahad had 13 apiece, with Fahad also taking down 10 boards.
For Manama, Jaber and Alex Young had 18 markers each to pace their team in the loss. Mohammed Buallay added 16 and 10 rebounds, while Ahmed Salman finished with 11.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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