Al Arabi's Elmedin Kikanovic (third right) shoots to score.
Doha, Qatar: Al Arabi moved a step closer to the Qatar Men’s Basketball League title after defeating Al Rayyan in the opening final at Al Gharafa Hall yesterday, while Al Sadd claimed third place after overcoming Al Ahli.
Al Arabi made a strong start and controlled the first quarter 23-11. Al Rayyan responded in the second period, leading 24-22, but still trailed 45-35 at halftime.
Al Arabi maintained its stronghold in the third quarter with a 14-11 effort to stretch the lead.
Al Rayyan pushed hard in the final quarter and outscored their opponents 25-20, but the lead was too big to overturn as Al Arabi held on to take the opening game of the best of three finals.
Al Sadd's Deng Deng Adel (top) shoots during the third place match.
Elmedin Kikanovic, who was later named Most Valuable Player of the game, led Al Arabi’s scoring with 20 points, while Abdulrahman Saad and Mustafa Husein Ali Ahmed Rashed added 18 points each. Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem contributed nine points and Sindou Ismael Diallo chipped in with eight.
Saad and Mustafa Husein Ali Ahmed Rashed also made all-round contributions, collecting seven rebounds each and also making five assists each.
For Al Rayyan, Malik Romeo Curry delivered a standout performance with a game-high 32 points. Babacar Dieng added 12 points, while Abdulla Yassin Mousa and Rolands Freimanis scored nine each. Rion Cortez Brown finished with five points and dominated the boards with 11 rebounds.
The second final will be played on Thursday, where Al Arabi will look to seal the title, while Al Rayyan aim for victory to drag the series to a decisive third game.
Earlier, at the same venue, Al Sadd secured third place with an 80-73 win over Al Ahli.
Al Sadd made a strong start and took early control of the match, winning the first quarter 26-18. Al Ahli responded strongly in the second quarter, edging it 29-24 to cut the deficit to three points at halftime. The third quarter was tightly contested, with both sides locked at 15-15, keeping the outcome open heading into the final period. Al Sadd then stepped up in the closing minutes, winning the fourth quarter 15-11 to seal the result and secure a podium finish.
Steven Bernard Lenard Green led Al Sadd with a standout performance, finishing with 20 points, three rebounds, and five assists to earn MVP honours. Moustafa Fouda added 18 points and seven assists, while Deng Deng Adel contributed 14 points and five assists, along with a dominant defensive display that included seven blocks.
Malik Antonyo Toppin of Al Sadd led the rebounds statistics with 12, while Al Ahli’s Taylor James Adway grabbed 11. Mohammed H Z Abbasher collected 10.
Mahmoud Luay Darwish and Deng Deng Adel added eight rebounds each for their respective sides.
