Manama crowned basketball league champions

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Manama were last night crowned champions of the 2021/2022 Zain Bahrain Basketball League. Devin Ebanks buried a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds to play to lift Manama to a nail-biting 82-81 win over arch-rivals Muharraq, and clinch the title in the winnertake-all game three of their bestof-three championship series.

The tie was played without any fans in attendance at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town. The Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) had decided not to permit any supporters following a meeting with representatives from both clubs ahead of the clash.

Ebanks scored the game-winning basket after Muharraq could not take advantage of a late seven-point lead. After Manama guard Ahmed Salman tied the proceedings at 79-all with a pair of free-throws, Muharraq forward Ali Shukrallah sank his own pair of pressure-packed charities with 13 seconds to play to give his team the slim 81-79 edge.

But Manama were able to find Ebanks in their own half and he pulled up over the outstretched arm of a challenging Shukrallah for the winning triple. Ebanks’s basket capped a 10-2 run for the victors that ended the game.

Muharraq still had a chance to steal the victory but an attempt by Sammy Monroe at the buzzer came up short. Following the contest, the two teams were awarded their respective trophies and medals in a ceremony attended by BBA president Captain Waleed Al Alawi. Manama won their 22nd league title—which is still the league record—and their first since the 2017/2018 season. Ebanks finished with a teamhigh 28 points.

His game-deciding basket was his only three-pointer of the night. Hasan Nowrooz added 14, while Ahmed Salman chipped in with 12 and Davion Berry scored 11. For Muharraq, veteran court general Hussain Shaker had 22 points, while Jackson added 19. Shukrallah finished with 14, while Bader Abdulla Malabes and Monroe each had 10. It was a tightly contested affair between the two sides from the opening tip.

Manama managed a slim 26-23 lead at the end of the first quarter, before going ahead 43-40 at the half. Muharraq briefly took the lead in the third before Manama went back in front and headed into the final canto up 60-56. The lead continued to exchange hands, and after the game was tied at 68-all, lay-ups by Baqer Al Aradi, Monroe and Jackson made it 79-72 with just a minute and 49 seconds to go.

Manama, however, put in one final fightback and it proved to be the decisive rally. They scored the next seven points to tie it at 79-apiece, paving the way for the late-game dramatics.