BASKETBALL – Dominant Bahrain were last night crowned champions of the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) U18 Championship 2026, which came to a close in Doha, Qatar.
The kingdom’s youth men’s national team bagged the gold medals after routing the host Qataris 77-45 in their concluding fixture at Al Gharafa Sports Club Arena.
The Bahrainis led by as many as 33 points late yesterday to wrap their sensational campaign in the round-robin tournament with an undefeated record after four games.
They will now be representing the GBA – along with Qatar – at the Fiba U18 Asia Cup 2026, to be played in Ahmedabad, India from August 13 to 23.
Following yesterday’s final, both teams were presented their respective trophies and medals in the closing and awarding ceremonies.
Joining Bahrain and Qatar on the podium were Saudi Arabia, who secured the bronze medals after defeating Oman 99-73 in their last fixture of the five-nation competition.
In attendance during last night’s gold medal clash was Bahrain Basketball Association president Eng Shaikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Bahrain’s GBA championship adds to the title they won earlier this month in the 23rd Arab Youth Men’s Basketball Championship 2026 in Sfax, Tunisia.
Coach Salman Ramadhan’s squad will now have no time to rest as they gear up for the even bigger continental challenge, which tips off in a fortnight.
Bahrain will be playing in the Fiba U18 Asia Cup for only the seventh time in its history.
They are joining a high-quality, 16-nation field that features defending champions Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, hosts India, and the Qataris.
The Bahrainis were in a class of their own in last night’s game, which marked the culmination of their outstanding run in Doha.
After opening their title bid with an eight-point victory over Saudi, they dominated against Kuwait for a 55-point win, and then thrashed Oman by 45 points.
The nationals were just as imposing in their triumph last night. Following a steady first quarter where they built a 20-14 lead, the Bahrainis took full control in the second, where they held Qatar to single digits to head into the break up 45-23.
Bahrain didn’t let up after the re-start, powering ahead 62-37 after three and then cruising in a low-scoring final frame to close things out and secure the crown.
Twin towers Hasan Abdulkadir and Somto Patrick Onoduenyi once again played key roles in the Bahrainis’ charge.
Abdulkadir had a monster ‘20-20’ effort with 22 points and 20 rebounds, while Onoduenyi, the Arab championships’ Most Valuable Player, added 16 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks.
Court general Mahdi Baqer chipped in with 11 points and an impressive nine assists for Bahrain, while Yousif Yaqoob Meshaei scored nine and Mujtaba Mahmood Rayyan had eight.
The rest of the kingdom’s title-winning roster in Doha included Ali Hussain Mohammed, Mohammed Mahmood, Mohammed Adel Abdulla, Ali Khalil Redha, Hussain Fuad Sharaf, Ali Sadeq Al Haddad, and Hussain Ahmed Abdulla.
Abdulla Moosa paced Qatar in their loss last night with 18 points.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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