BASKETBALL – MANAMA set up an enticing best-of-five showdown against defending champions Muharraq last night for the coveted title in the 2025-26 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Manama earned their place in the finals after edging past Al Najma 75-71 in game four of their semi-final clash – sealing a 3-1 triumph in their match-up at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town. The game was played with no fans in attendance.
Najma were battling to stay in contention and hopefully extend their series to a winner-take-all fifth game – and they had their opportunities late on – but Manama held firm to march through and will next lock horns with their bitter rivals.
Manama are set to face an uphill task against Muharraq for the championship. They have already lost a pair of trophies to their opponents earlier this campaign, including the 2025-26 Khalifa Bin Salman Cup just last month and the curtain-raising Bahrain Super Cup in November of last year.
The two sides also met thrice during the regular season of the Zain Bahrain Basketball League, with Muharraq winning each time.
Muharraq are looking to retain the crown and emerge as national champions for the fifth time in history, while Manama will be aiming to add to their record 25 titles.
In last night’s contest, Manama held a slim 25-23 advantage at the end of the first quarter but Najma battled back in the second to go up 46-43 at the break. Hussain Mohammed made a lay-up right before the half-time buzzer to put his team up by three.
Manama then clamped down defensively in a low-scoring third, holding Najma to just 10 points to go up 57-56 heading into the final frame.
There, they finished strong although Najma dug deep in an effort to send the series to a decisive fifth game. After an Ali Aqeel three-pointer put Najma ahead 66-65 with just over four minutes to play, Manama responded and went on a decisive 8-0 run, sparked by back-to-back baskets from beyond the arc by Ali Jaber and Ahmed Salman.
Najma put up one last stand and five straight points from Mohammed Kowayed brought them back to within 71-73 with 48 seconds on the game clock. But after regaining possession to potentially tie or win the game, Kowayed missed a driving lay-up and Hasan Nowrooz grabbed the crucial rebound for Manama.
Salman eventually buried two pressure-packed free-throws to make it a two-possession game with only nine seconds remaining, virtually icing the victory and securing their semis triumph.
Jaber and Salman finished as Manama’s top scorers with 21 and 19 points, respectively. Jaber nearly finished with a triple double after also taking down 13 rebounds and dishing out eight assists, while Salman fired in four three-pointers.
Nowrooz chipped in with 10 points, while Romeo Enan had nine points and 17 boards while Mohammed Buallay contributed sixth points and eight assists.
Donovan Smith paced Najma with 15 points while Aqeel added 14. Kowayed and Ahmed Aldurazi scored 10 points apiece in their narrow defeat.
Muharraq had earlier booked their berth in the finals after sweeping past Al Ahli with dominant performances in three games.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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