Al Ahli outclass Muharraq

TDT | Manama                                                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Ahli powered to a resounding 93-79 victory over Muharraq last night in a battle between perennial title contenders as part of the fourth week of action in the 2023/2024 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.

Ahli used a strong second-half performance to blow a close game wide open as they led by as many as 16 points in the last two periods. Ahli registered their third win in four games with the result, while Muharraq suffered their first loss in three league outings.

Ahmed Aldurazi scored 21 points, including five three-pointers, to spearhead Ahli in their win. Adrian Uter added 18 markers, while Unique Mclean scored 15, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists.

Tyler Wilkerson was the top man for Muharraq, finishing with 35 points and eight boards. He received little help, however, as Baqer Isa finished with 12 and Hussain Salman had 10 as their only other players in double figures.

Ahli were the aggressors for much of the first half. They led 24-20 after the opening period and stayed up 40-36 heading into the break. Ahli began to break away from their rivals in the third and stretched their advantage to double digits, heading into the final canto with a 67-57 cushion.

Muharraq tried valiantly to get back into the contest in the fourth, but Ahli had a reply each time and were able to keep their rivals at bay until the final whistle. Meanwhile, Alex Young rattled in a three-pointer with 16.1 seconds remaining to help lift Al Hala to a hard-earned 98-94 victory over Nuwaidrat in another game last night.

Young’s basket came after Omran Yousif scored on a fastbreak to give Nuwaidrat a narrow 94-92 lead. It was a tight finish to a hotly contested game, in which Nuwaidrat led by 11 early on but Hala fought back to keep things close. Young then sank three straight free-throws with only seconds left to peg the final score.

Young finished with a game-high 43 points, including four triples for Hala. Hassan Abbas added 19 and Tyrone Nash scored 17. Sameen Swint led Nuwaidrat with 35 points, while Lamar Mallory had 26 and Yousif 20. Hala improved to a 3-1 win-loss record with the result, while Nuwaidrat dropped to a 2-2 mark. League action continues tonight with Al Najma facing Isa Town at 5.30pm.