BASKETBALL – Arab champions Bahrain enjoyed a sensational start last night to their title bid in the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) U18 Championship 2026, which got underway in Doha, Qatar.
The kingdom’s youth men’s basketball national team outclassed their counterparts from Saudi Arabia 62-54 at Al Gharafa Sports Club Arena in the district of Al Rayyan.
The Bahrainis opened the game strong but were held to single digits in the second quarter as they gave up their early lead.
They roared back, however, and were dominant after the interval to come away with the well-deserved victory and the strong start to their campaign.
Mujtaba Mahmood Rayyan was Bahrain’s top scorer with 21 points, while big man Hassan Abdulkadir added 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Frontcourt mate Somto Patrick Onoduenyi chipped in with nine points but also grabbed a monster 25 boards as he and Abdulkadir controlled the paint.
The GBA tournament also acts as a qualifier for the Fiba U18 Asia Cup 2026, to be played in Ahmedabad, India from August 13 to 23.
The top two teams at the Qatari capital will book their tickets to the continental showcase, joining a high-quality field of 16 youth men’s squads.
In another game yesterday, Kuwait eked past Oman 62-59.
The regional competition features five of the six GCC nations – with only the UAE not taking part – and it is being played in a single round-robin.
Action on the hardwood continues today with Bahrain taking on their Kuwaiti counterparts at 4pm at the same venue.
It will be followed by Saudi going up against hosts Qatar at 6pm. Both times are Bahrain.
Following their contest this afternoon, the nationals face Oman tomorrow for their third assignment in as many days.
They then have two days’ rest before going up against the Qataris on the championship’s concluding day on Thursday – a game that is expected to have major implications in the title battle and the Fiba U18 Asia Cup qualifying race.
In Bahrain’s triumph yesterday, they powered ahead 16-6 with an impressive first quarter but then scored just eight points in the second as the Saudis surged in front and took a slim 26-24 edge into the locker rooms.
But the Bahrainis then turned things around in the final two periods, recovering in the third to build a 45-37 cushion heading into the final frame.
There, they came up with the big plays down the stretch with Saudi trying to make one last stand.
Rayyan made a key three-pointer from the right baseline for a 54-47 advantage with under five minutes remaining.
He then scored again in the paint off a Mahdi Habib Baqer assist to stretch Bahrain’s lead further to nine.
Abdulkadir also had a crucial basket in the last two minutes to keep the nationals afloat at 58-51, and then Rayyan had a good cut into the paint for a lay-up to make it 60-51.
Onoduenyi, who was recently crowned Most Valuable Player in Bahrain’s title-winning run at the 23rd Arab Youth Men’s Basketball Championship 2026, later pegged the final score with a two-handed dunk seconds before the final buzzer.
Ali Mousa Alamrad paced the Saudis in the loss with a game-high 27 markers.
Bahrain are looking to improve on their bronze-medal finish from the previous GBA under-18 qualification event held in 2024 and make it to their Fiba Asia tournament for the seventh time.
Their last appearance was in the 2018 edition, held in Thailand.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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