BASKETBALL – Arab champions Bahrain asserted their dominance last night in a 106-51 thrashing of Kuwait in the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) U18 Championship 2026, currently being played in Doha, Qatar.
The kingdom’s youth men’s basketball national team were in a class of their own from the opening tip at Al Gharafa Sports Club Arena in the district of Al Rayyan.
They burst out of the gate and built a commanding 35-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
They never looked back from there, enjoying leads as big as 59 points late in the final canto en route to sealing the lopsided result.
Somto Patrick Onoduenyi, who was recently crowned Most Valuable Player in Bahrain’s title-winning run at the 23rd Arab Youth Men’s Basketball Championship 2026, led six players in double figures with 18 points and 15 rebounds in less than 20 minutes of work.
Frontcourt mate Hassan Abdulkadir added 17 points and nine boards, while skipper Mahdi Habib Baqer chipped in with 13 markers and seven assists in the win.
The Bahrainis claimed their second successive victory to begin the five-nation tournament.
They had earlier won their opening assignment against Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
With the result, the nationals also inched closer to securing their place in the Fiba U18 Asia Cup 2026, to be played in Ahmedabad, India from August 13 to 23.
The GBA event, which is being played in a single round-robin, also acts as a qualifier for the continental showcase.
The top two teams will join a high-quality field of 16 youth men’s squads from all over Asia in Ahmedabad.
Bahrain are back in action today against Oman for their third outing in as many days.
The contest is scheduled for a 5pm start, Bahrain time, after organisers adjusted the start times of the games.
The nationals then have two days’ rest before going up against the Qataris on the championship’s concluding day on Thursday at 7pm, also Bahrain time – an affair that is expected to have major implications in the title battle and the Fiba U18 Asia Cup qualifying race.
In their victory last night, the Bahrainis carried over the momentum from their strong start into the second quarter, where they extended the gap to 59-20 heading into the break.
They never took their foot off the gas after the re-start, ending the third with a virtually insurmountable 85-37 lead and with only the fourth quarter remaining.
There, Bahrain more than doubled Kuwait’s output and led by 59 twice right before the final buzzer.
All of Bahrain’s 12 players who stepped onto the court yesterday made it onto the scoresheet.
Joining Onoduenyi, Abdulkadir, and Baqer in double figures were Mujtaba Mahmood Rayyan, Ali Khalil Habib, and Yousif Yaqoob Meshaei – each of whom finished with 10 points.
Ali Husain chipped in with seven, Mohamed Mahmood Farhan scored six, and Ali Ayman Hamza finished with five.
Rounding out the kingdom’s scorers were Mohamed Adel Abdulla with four points, and Hussain Fuad Ghuloom and Ali Alhaddad who had three apiece.
Adam Asadallah paced Kuwait with 18 points.
Bahrain are looking to improve on their bronze-medal finish from the previous GBA under-18 event held in 2024 and are hoping to qualify for the 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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