BASKETBALL – Bahrain powered to their second successive victory last night in the 23rd Arab Youth Men’s Basketball Championship 2026, currently being held in Sfax, Tunisia.
The kingdom’s youth men’s national team overcame a tough challenge from the hosts in a resounding 78-66 victory at Raed Al Bawaji Hall.
The Bahrainis, coached by veteran tactician Salman Ramadhan, faced a 53-58 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, but then used a game-changing 19-2 run – sparked by 12 unanswered points – to take full control of the contest.
The nationals never looked back from there as they maintained their undefeated record after two games so far in the under-18 tournament.
They opened their campaign with a come-from-behind victory against Algeria on Saturday.
The nationals resume their title bid today against Libya in a game scheduled for a 1pm tip-off, Bahrain time.
Bahrain are one of six nations hitting the hardwood in the regional competition, which is organised by the Arab Basketball Confederation and the Federation Tunisienne de Basketball.
The other participating squads are Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt, and hosts Tunisia.
In Bahrain’s triumph yesterday, the Tunisians took a slim 17-16 lead at the end of the opening quarter and tried to pull away in the second.
But Bahraini skipper Mahdi Habib Baqer buried a three-pointer to beat the half-time buzzer to keep their deficit at a single point, 37-38, at the break.
The home team then went ahead by six midway through the third period and the Bahrainis continued to trail with only the final canto to play.
But that set the stage for their impressive comeback as they held Tunisia to just eight points the entire frame while erupting for 25 points, going up by double digits en route to the big win.
Bahrain are competing in Sfax as part of their programme ahead of the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) U18 Championship 2026, set to be held in Doha, Qatar from July 17 to 22.
Following their assignment today against Libya, the nationals have a rest day tomorrow before going up against Morocco on Wednesday at 1pm.
They then complete their preliminary round schedule against Egypt on Thursday at 3.15pm. Both times are Bahrain.
At the end of this single round-robin, the top two teams on the standings will face off for the gold medals on Saturday, while the third and fourth-ranked squads will compete for bronze the same day.
Bahrain’s upcoming participation in the GBA championship will see them vie for a berth in the Fiba U18 Asia Cup 2026.
The three nations climbing the podium at the Qatari capital will earn their places in the biennial Fiba Asia event, to be played in Ahmedabad, India from Aug 13 to 23.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))