BASKETBALL – Three-time defending champions Manama eked out a thrilling 91-87 overtime victory against Al Najma last night in the 2024-25 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Tony Carr made the go-ahead lay-up to make it 88-87 with a minute remaining in the extra session and then AJ John added a free-throw to extend their lead to two with 25 seconds on the clock.
Najma’s Robert Lowery then made a crucial turnover as they looked to tie or take the lead on the ensuing possession, and then Manama’s Ahmed Salman pegged the final score from the charity stripe.
Earlier in regulation, Lowery split two free-throws to tie the proceedings at 80-apiece with 19 seconds left. Both teams then missed potential game-winners, sending the contest into the additional five-minute period.
Manama were in control for most of the first half but then it was a see-saw affair in the third and fourth quarters. An Ali Aqeel triple with five minutes to go in quarter three put Najma ahead 54-49, but Manama replied to edge ahead 63-62 into the final frame.
There, things remained close and after Tyler Wilkerson put Najma up 79-78 with under a minute remaining, Salman replied with a jumper that set the stage for Lowery’s tying free-throw.
John had a monster effort to help Manama claim the win, posting 24 points and 17 rebounds and nearly playing the entire night. Salman added 22 points and three steals, while Carr had an impressive triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Wilkerson had 30 points and 25 boards to pace Najma in the loss, while Lowery almost registered his own triple-double with 26 points, eight rebounds, and 12 assists. Hussain Mohammed chipped in with 17 against his former long-time club.
With the result, Manama claimed their eighth victory and bounced back from their first defeat of the Premier League season against bitter rivals Al Ahli in their previous game. Najma, meanwhile, suffered their fourth loss to go with five wins.
In last night’s other fixture, also in the Premier League, Ahli shrugged off a dismal start to dominate Al Ettihad 76-57.
Ahli trailed by as many as 14 in the first and were behind 13-23 going into the second, where they came alive to take a 39-36 advantage into the interval. They then held Ettihad to just nine points in the third to go up 60-45 with one quarter remaining, and they never wavered.
Ahli’s 19-point winning margin was also their biggest of the night.
Elijah Thomas had 27 points in just 22 minutes of work while Sadiq Shukrallah added 10. Dominique Sutton and Ahmed Alderazi each contributed eight in the win.
Sayed Mohammed Hameed had 14 to lead Ettihad, who were playing without a professional. Hassan Fahad finished with 12.
Ahli took their fourth victory in nine outings while Ettihad stayed winless as they suffered their 10th defeat.
Action continues tonight with one Premier League game on schedule between Muharraq and Al Hala, set for an 8pm tip-off.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
Top stories for today:
Cold weather
20 societies in kingdom reject Trump’s Gaza plan
British Club celebrates nine decades of love and laughter
&uuid=(email))