BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S youth men’s basketball national team went down fighting 70-101 against European giants Sweden last night in the 31st Albert Schweitzer Tournament, currently being held in Germany.
The Bahrainis battled hard throughout the contest as they stepped up their bid to claim their maiden victory on their debut participation in the prestigious under-18 competition.
The nationals held their own in the opening quarter, which ended with Arab youth Most Valuable Player Somto Patrick Onoduenyi scoring on a fast-break lay-up to forge a 21-all deadlock. The Bahrainis then took a slim lead early in the second, but Sweden went on a game-changing rally and the Bahrainis faced a 29-53 deficit at the interval. They were held to just eight points the entire period.
Bahrain tried to stay within striking distance over the last two quarters, but fell behind by as many as the final 31-point losing margin.
Onoduenyi top scored for the Arab and Gulf youth champions with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Hassan Abdulqader added 12 and Ali Mohamed had 10 points.
For Sweden, Malcolm Berglund Price had 26 points while Michael Odinks chipped in with 20 as they led five of their players in double figures.
Bahrain’s loss yesterday followed a heavy 59-116 setback against hosts Germany in their opening assignment on Saturday night.
The Bahrainis are competing in the preliminary round’s Group A, which also features Slovenia, Japan, and Türkiye. Group B is composed of China, Brazil, New Zealand, Latvia, Serbia, and Italy.
The kingdom’s representatives are set to return to the hardwood this evening for their third outing in as many days in the tournament. They will be taking on Slovenia in a game scheduled to tip off at 6.15pm, Bahrain time.
Tomorrow is a rest day, after which Bahrain will face off with fellow-Asian side Japan on Wednesday at 2.15pm. Their final game of the preliminaries will be against their Turkish rivals on Thursday at 2.45pm. Both times are also Bahrain.
Following group play, the top two teams from each pool will move on to the semi-finals, to be held on Friday next week. The gold and bronze medal games are then set for the event’s concluding day on Saturday.
Classification contests to rank fifth through 12th overall will also be held on the last two days.
Games are being held in the cities of Mannheim and Viernheim.
Bahrain are playing in Germany as part of their preparations for the Gulf Basketball Association qualifiers for the Fiba U18 Asia Cup 2026, which have yet to be scheduled.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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