Doha: Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah defeated Al Shamal and Al Khor in the opening games of Group B of the 2024-2025 Amir Cup Basketball Championship. Both matches were held at the QBF Indoor Hall in Al Gharafa.
In the first game, Al Rayyan secured a resounding 106-83 victory over Al Shamal.
Al Rayyan dominated the game from the start, winning the first three periods (29-20, 25-13, and 34-24). Al Shamal recovered in the fourth period (26-18), but the scoreline was not enough to secure the victory.
Justin Jamal Wright-Foreman of Al Rayyan was the top scorer with 42 points, while Emmanuel Ezenwa Egbota led Al Shamal with 25 points. Al Rayyan thus takes the first two points in Group B, while Qatar SC settles for one point.
Al Rayyan is scheduled to meet Al Wakrah in the second round on the evening of April 26, 2025. On the same day, Al Shamal will meet Al Khor, with both games taking place at Al Gharafa Arena.
In the second game, Al Wakrah defeated Al Khor 79-56.
Al Wakrah started the game strongly, winning the first period 16-9, and continued their dominance in the second period 16-15. They also won the third and fourth periods 22-18 and 25-14, respectively.
Al Wakrah thus takes the first two points in Group B, while Al Khor settles for one point.
Al Wakrah’s Sindou Ismail Diallo was the top scorer in the game with 25 points, while Karim Talal was the top scorer for Al Khor with 18 points. The second round of Group A games will kick off on Thursday, April 24, 2025, with defending champions Al Arabi facing Qatar SC at 5:00 PM at the Indoor Hall of Al Gharafa Sports Club. This will be followed by a game between Al Ahli and Al Sadd at 7:00 PM, with Al Gharafa taking a break from the second round.
The first round of Group A games resulted in Al Ahli defeating Al Gharafa 76-72 and Al Sadd defeating Qatar SC 98-90.
The first round games will be held in a single-round league format. Group A includes Al Ahli, Al Sadd, Al Gharafa, Al Arabi, and Qatar SC, while Group B includes Al Rayyan, Al Khor, Al Wakrah, and Al Shamal.
The group winners will advance directly to the semi-finals, while the second- and third-place teams will play a knockout round to determine the two teams that will advance to the semi-finals, which will be played as a best-of-three game.
The grand final will be held at Al Gharafa Arena on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
