BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN maintained their undefeated record yesterday in the 23rd Arab Youth Men’s Basketball Championship 2026, currently being held in Sfax, Tunisia.
The kingdom’s youth men’s national team outclassed their counterparts from Libya 73-58 to claim their third straight preliminary round victory at Raed Al Bawaji Hall.
The Bahrainis, coached by veteran tactician Salman Ramadhan, led the entire contest and were up by as many as 18 points late in the fourth quarter. The nationals were also dominant in the paint, outscoring their opponents 38-14.
Somto Patrick Onoduenyi finished with a team-best 18 points. He also grabbed 15 rebounds and had an impressive six blocks as a key force in the interior.
Bahrain’s triumph against the Libyans followed their wins against Algeria and hosts Tunisia, and it helped them move closer to securing a berth in the tournament’s title-deciding contest.
The Bahrainis are one of six youth men’s national teams hitting the hardwood in the regional competition, which is organised by the Arab Basketball Confederation and the Federation Tunisienne de Basketball.
They have two games remaining in this stage. Following a rest day today, they go up against Morocco tomorrow at 1pm in their penultimate assignment. 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 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.
Against Libya yesterday, the Bahrainis stormed out of the gate and built an 11-2 lead midway through the opening period before taking a 21-12 advantage into the second. There, they continued their strong play and enjoyed a 39-27 cushion at the break.
The nationals then staved off a spirited charge from the Libyans, who scored eight unanswered points to get to within five, 42-47, towards the end of the third period.
Bahrain recovered immediately and were up 52-42 heading into the final frame, where they cruised to the finish line for their resounding 15-point win – their biggest of the tournament so far.
Mohamed Adel added 16 points for Bahrain while Hussain Fuad scored 12. Onoduenyi’s frontcourt mate Hassan Abdulkadir had just six points but also took down 13 boards in the victory.
Ayham Tariq Ali scored a game-high 23 to pace Libya while Mohammed Ezuldeen Altoumi added 13.
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
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