Manama set for tough Kazma test

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Bahrain’s Manama Club are set for a best-of-three clash with Kazma of Kuwait in the qualification to the semi-finals phase in the Gulf sub-zone of the 2022/2023 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL).

Manama and Kazma were paired off in this knockout stage after the two teams qualified from the preliminary round.

Manama were ranked as runners-up in Group B while Kazma were third in Group A.

The top two teams in each of the Gulf sub-zone’s groups advanced directly to the semi-finals, while those in second and third are to fight it out for the other two spots.

Manama’s and Kazma’s threegame series tips off in Bahrain on Monday next week.

Game two will then be played on April 3 in Kuwait City, and then the decisive third game, if needed, will take place back in the Kingdom on April 10.

Manama will be looking to make the most of their homecourt advantage in the matchup.

The other qualification to the semi-finals is between Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai and Al Nassr Riyadh of Saudi Arabia, which begins on Tuesday next week with game one.

Game two will be on April 4, and then game three, if needed, on April 11.

A Manama victory against Kazma will put them through to the final four, where they will face Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, also over three games.

Those will take place on April 17, April 24 and May 1.

The winner of the Shabab Al Ahli-Nassr Riyadh match-up will move on to play Kuwait SC of Kuwait in the last four.

Their games will be held April 18, April 25 and May 2.

The championship series is then scheduled to be held in best-of-three format with game days on May 9, May 16 and May 23.

A single game for third place will also be held on May 8.

The WASL is a new basketball competition sanctioned by FIBA, the sport’s global governing body.

Manama are one of 16 teams in this inaugural edition.

They played home-and-away contests in the Gulf sub-zone against Kuwait, Nassr Riyadh and Al Sadd of Qatar.

Group A in the Gulf sub-zone comprised Kazma, Hilal, Shabab Al Ahli and Al Basheer Club of Oman.

Along with the Gulf sub-zone, there is a West Asia sub-zone that includes Beirut First Club of Lebanon, Al Ittihad Aleppo of Syria, Orthodox Amman of Jordan and Zob Ahan Isfahan of Iran in Group A; and Shahrdari Gorgan of Iran, Al Naft SC of Iraq, Al Karamah SC of Syria, and Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon in Group B.

The top three teams from the WASL Gulf and WASL West Asia sub-zones qualify for the WASL Final 8, where they will be joined by Champions of South Asia and Central Asia.

The WASL Final 8 will qualify for FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2023, on the road to FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2023, FIBA’s highest club competition.