Ahli, Najma emerge victorious

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Ahli and Al Najma were both victorious last night in their Top Six games of the 2023/2024 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.

Ahli battled back from a second-half deficit to take down Al Ettihad 88-80; while Najma staved off a late challenge from Al Hala to come away with an 87-81 win.

Both games were played at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam, and they wrapped up the second week of action in this stage of the league.

Ahli and Najma joined unbeaten defending champions Manama as winners from week two.

In Ahli’s triumph last night, they brushed off a slow start to take a slim 42-39 lead at the break.

But in the third, nine unanswered points from Cleanthony Early to end the quarter broke a 57-all deadlock and gave Ettihad a 66-57 lead.

In the final stanza, Ahli fought back and took advantage of Early fouling out in the period’s opening minute.

An Adrian Uter layup then brought them to within a single possession, 68-70, but But Jordan Washington answered with a conventional three-point play for Ettihad.

Maitham Jameel then tied it at 75-apiece in transition with just over four minutes left, and later two Uter free-throws and a fadeaway jumper put Ahli up 82-78 with under two minutes to play.

Hesham Sarhan then sank a pressure-packed basket to make it 86-80 with 19.2 seconds remaining, virtually icing the contest for Ahli.

Uter and fellow-professional Unique McLean combined for 47 points for the winners, with Uter scoring 24 and McLean finishing with 23. Uter also took down 11 rebounds.

Jameel added 15 points and 10 boards to go with five assists, while Ahmed Aldurazi contributed 14 points for Ahli. Ettihad were paced by Washington’s 39 markers and 16 rebounds, while Early had 26, nine rebounds and five assists before fouling out. Mohammed Kuwayed was their only other player in double figures with 10 points.

Bounced back

With the result, Ahli bounced back from their opening loss against Muharraq in the Top Six, while Ettihad suffered their first loss of this stage after previously winning against Hala.

Meanwhile, in Najma’s triumph, they built a commanding 50-35 advantage at the half and stayed ahead 65-56 heading into the final stanza.

There, a Joshua Caldwell step-back three-pointer gave them an 81-68 lead with less than five minutes to go, but then Hala came alive and went on a 10-0 run, capped by an Alex Young triple.

Najma’s Elijah Robinson ended their rally and then Alwatheq Ali Hala back to within 80-83 with a minute left, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way as Najma held on for their first win of the Top Six.

They bounced back from a loss to defending champions Manama in their opening fixture.

Robinson finished with 28 points on an efficient 11-for13 shooting to lead Najma, while Caldwell added 24 and Mahmood Abbas Isa had 16.

Hala were paced by Young’s 22 and Ali’s 16, as they suffered a second successive defeat, adding to their loss against Al Ettihad in week one.