Manama clinch Super Cup!
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Manama captured the 2023/2024 Bahrain Super Cup last night after defeating bitter rivals Muharraq 84-67 at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town. Manama used a scintillating 21-0 run in the fourth quarter to turn a narrow deficit to a big lead en route to closing out the contest and lifting the Late Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa Cup—the game’s winners’ trophy named after the former Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) president.
With their victory, Manama claimed the Bahrain Super Cup for the fifth time in the contest’s history. The game is a one-off annual encounter that opens the new national basketball season, played usually between the previous season’s league champions and the winners of the Khalifa bin Salman Cup.
Manama claimed the title for the first time since the 2018/2019 season. Following last night’s action, Manama were presented the Late Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa Cup by Bahrain Olympic Committee vice-president His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, who was on hand for the game.
Also in attendance were a number of BBA officials. American professional Travin Thibodeaux finished as Manama’s leading scorer with 27 points, while also taking down 15 rebounds. Bahraini big man Mohammed Ameer added 24 markers and nine rebounds, and he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Sir’Dominic Pointer added 15 as Manama’s third player in double figures. For Muharraq, Tyler Wilkerson had 31 points and 11 boards, while Bader Abdulla Malabes added 12. Julius Coles Jr was held to just 10 points on a dismal four-for-18 shooting from the field. In last night’s fourth quarter, Muharraq held a slim 58-57 at the start of the period and then a Mohammed Nasser lay-up put them ahead 62-59.
But that set the stage for Manama’s game-changing rally, where they erupted for 21 unanswered points and held Muharraq scoreless for over six minutes. Ameer capped their superb charge with seven straight points, which put them up 80- 62.
The battle was over by then and Manama cruised to the final buzzer. Manama were the early aggressors and took a 21-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. They continued their strong play in the second and extended their advantage to 13, 36-23, following a Thibodeaux triple. But Muharraq were able to narrow the gap before the half and trailed by just seven, 35-42, at the break.
In the third, Wilkerson was on fire as he buried four three-pointers in the period alone to spearhead the Muharraq resurgence. His last long-range basket helped give Muharraq their one-point lead heading into the last canto. With the Bahrain Super Cup complete, the stage is now set for the national league campaign to get underway, while both Manama and Muharraq are also set to compete in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) 2023/2024.
The WASL has been rescheduled to begin on 13 November in view of the current severe security situation in the Middle East, according to the FIBA Regional Office Asia. Manama, the reigning WASL champions, are in Group B of the tournament’s Gulf sub-zone along with Kazma of Kuwait, Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE and Al Shamal from Qatar. Muharraq, who are making their WASL debut, are in Group A alongside Al Ahli Jeddah of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait SC of Kuwait and Al Rayyan of Qatar.
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