Muharraq, Manama make winning starts

Muharraq and Manama were big winners last night in the Top Six division of the 2019/2020 Zain Bahrain Basketball League, being played at Zain Arena in Um Al Hassam. Muharraq posted a resounding 100-74 victory over Al Hala, while Manama defeated Al Najma 125-111 led by the triple-double of American professional Christopher McKnight. All four teams that took to the hardwood yesterday were playing their first games in this stage of the league.

They are all battling it out in the Top Six for four spots in the ensuing Golden Square semi-final round. Muharraq used a one-sided second quarter to turn their close game against Hala wide open. They held a narrow 22-21 lead at the end of the opening period but then enjoyed a 28-12 quarter to take a commanding 50-33 advantage into the half. They maintained their impressive form in the final 20 minutes and never allowed Hala to make any serious comebacks.

Muharraq enjoyed leads as big as 27 in their victory. High- scoring American professional Kevin Murphy poured in 31 points to go wth 10 rebounds and three steals to spearhead the league’s defending champions in the game. Ahmed Hassan Aldurazi added 17, while Mohammed Buallay and substitute Sayed Kadhem Majid each chipped in with 12 markers. For Hala, Senegalese import Mansour Kasse was their top scorer with 21.

He also had 12 rebounds but committed seven turnovers in the game. Ahmed Khalifa added 18 while Hussain Salman had 13, both coming off the bench. In Manama’s victory, they shrugged off a poor start and dominated the second half on the way to their well-deserved win. They fell behind 21-33 after the first period but managed to fight back in the second to cut the deficit to 53-57 at the half. Manama then sprung to life in the third quarter, outscoring Najma but 19 points to take full control of the game.

They led by as many as 17 points in the second half, and in the last canto did enough to close things out with the comfortable margin. McKnight had his impressive triple-double with 24 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists with just one turnover in only 26 minutes of play. Mohammd Ameer came off the bench to contribute 26 points while taking down nine rebounds. Ahmed Najaf added another 20 as the Manama big men dominated the paint.

Mohammed Hussain chipped in with 19 markers while Hassan Nowrooz had 14 and Ahmed Aziz 11. Qassim Hassan paced Najma with 22 in defeat while Hussain Mohammed had 20, including five three-pointers. Fadalallah Abbas and American import Lester Ferguson contributed 16 apiece. League action continues on Monday with two games in the Silver Division. Isa Town and Bahrain Club battle at 5.45pm followed by Al Ettihad and Samaheej facing off at 7.30pm. Two fixtures in the Top Six follow the next evening.