Doha: Al Arabi Club issued a preliminary alert to its rivals in the 2024-2025 Amir Cup Basketball Championship by securing a commanding 117-72 victory against Qatar SC in the second round of Group A, which took place on Thursday evening at the Al-Gharafa Club Hall.
The reigning champions, Al Arabi Club, showcased their intent to establish their technical prowess from the outset, successfully maintaining their advantage throughout all four quarters, which concluded with decisive scores of 32-15, 29-12, 23-19, and 33-26.
The game featured a standout performance from Bahraini player Mustafa Hussein, who scored 33 points, underscoring his significant role as a key player for Al-Arabi Club, particularly during critical moments of extending their lead; he was the highest scorer of the match. Conversely, Qatar SC relied on a few individual contributions, with Georgios Mikoniatis standing out by scoring 21 points.
Following this victory, Al Arabi secured two points in the standings after the win, while Qatar SC remained at two points after suffering two consecutive defeats, the first being against Al Sadd in the opening round (98-90).
In another game within the same group, Al Ahli SC continued their impressive form by narrowly defeating Al Sadd SC (80-78).
The game was characterized by significant excitement from both competing teams. Al Sadd managed to assert their playing style during the first quarter, concluding it with a score of 24-21 in their favor.
However, in the second quarter, Al Ahli regained their form and secured a narrow victory of 19-18. Al Ahli maintained their dominance in the third quarter with a score of 26-16, while in the fourth quarter, Al Sadd achieved a score of 20-14, which ultimately did not suffice for them to win the match.
Archie Lee Goodwin from Al Sadd emerged as the leading scorer with 24 points, whereas Mohammed Hashem from Al Ahli followed closely with 20 points. Consequently, Al Ahli topped Group A with four points, having won both of their matches, while Al Sadd finished in second place with three points.
In their opening round, Al Sadd recorded a significant victory over Qatar SC with a score of 98-90, while Al Ahli triumphed over Al Gharafa SC with a score of 76-72.
This season’s Amir Cup Basketball Championship is organized into two groups.
Group A consists of Al Arabi, Al Sadd, Al Ahli, Al Gharafa, and Qatar SC, while Group B includes Al Rayyan, Al Shamal, Al Wakrah, and Al Khor.
Al Arabi are set to face Al Gharafa in their next game on Monday evening, a challenging encounter that highlights the competitive nature at the top of the standings.
Meanwhile, Qatar SC will seek to rejuvenate their aspirations when they take on Al Ahli SC in a crucial game. The group stage will follow a single-round league format, with the top team from each group advancing directly to the semi-finals.
The second and third-placed teams will enter a knockout round to determine the remaining finalists. The semi-finals will be conducted in a best-of-three format, culminating in the highly anticipated final scheduled for Thursday, May 22, at the Al Gharafa Club Indoor Hall.
