BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S youth men’s basketball national team battled hard in a tough 79-90 defeat to Asian powerhouses Japan yesterday in the 31st Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany.
The Bahrainis held a commanding 17-point advantage in the first half and appeared on their way to an historic maiden victory on their debut participation in the prestigious under-18 competition. But it was not to be, as the Japanese roared back in the last two periods, where they outscored Bahrain 54-36 to secure the come-from-behind win.
The result marked the fourth loss in as many outings for the nationals in what was their best chance so far to come away triumphant. They had previously suffered heavy losses to international basketball juggernauts Slovenia, Sweden, and hosts Germany in their opening three assignments.
Bahrain had a strong start, with Arab youth Most Valuable Player Somto Patrick Onoduenyi giving them a 12-5 lead midway through the first quarter following a three-point basket. The Japanese were able to tie it at 14-apiece, but the Bahrainis edged ahead 21-19 at the end of the period following a driving lay-up – plus the foul – by guard Mahdi Baqer.
The kingdom’s representatives continued their impressive form in the second, when two free-throws by big man Hassan Abdulqader put them up by double-digits at 30-19. A fast-break basket in the paint by Baqer then made it 40-23 for Bahrain’s largest gap of the contest, but Japan gradually chipped away at the deficit, which they had cut to single digits at 36-43 by half time.
It was mostly downhill for Bahrain from there, as Japan nearly doubled their output in the third, 31-16, powering to a 67-59 advantage heading into the final frame. There, Bahrain got to within five early on but then the Japanese pulled away, going up by as many as 12 en route to their final winning margin.
Abdulqader had a monster effort of 27 points and 19 rebounds in the setback, as did Onoduenyi, who nearly posted a triple double with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. Baqer was their only other player in double figures with 11.
Roi Honda scored 14 to pace a balanced attack for Japan. Cayman Tsuneoka added 13 and Hiromasa Fujiwara added 12 in their win, which was their second of the tournament.
Bahrain have one final game to play in the preliminary round against Türkiye today, scheduled for a 2.45pm tip-off, Bahrain time.
Following group action, the top two teams from each pool will move on to the semi-finals, to be held tomorrow. 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.
Bahrain are playing in Germany as part of their preparations for the Gulf Basketball Association qualifiers for the Fiba U18 Asia Cup 2026.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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