Doha: The competition for the premier position in the 2024-2025 season of the Qatar Basketball League intensified following the victories of Al Rayyan and Al Arabi in the 15th round of the tournament’s second division. Both teams demonstrated remarkable resolve in their pursuit of the top ranking.
In the first game held on Thursday evening at Al Gharafa Hall, Al Rayyan secured a significant win against Al Wakrah, concluding the game with a score of 94-74.
The encounter was marked by thrilling competition, with the first quarter ending in a tie at 18-18. However, Al Rayyan quickly established dominance in the second quarter, which they won 24-21, and continued to build on their lead in the third quarter with a score of 25-16. They ultimately sealed their victory in the fourth quarter, finishing 27-19. DeMarcus DeAngelo Bust of Al Rayyan emerged as the standout player, contributing 30 points to his team’s success. Conversely, Sindou Ismail Diallo of Al Wakrah was his team’s top performer, scoring 26 points.
With this triumph, Al Rayyan elevated their total to 28 points from 15 matches, maintaining their position at the top of the league, while Al Wakrah remained in eighth place with 18 points.
In the subsequent game, defending champion Al Arabi continued to pursue the leader Al Rayyan, achieving a crucial victory over Al Gharafa with a score of 97-71.
The game clearly demonstrated Al Arabi’s dominance, as they secured victories in all four quarters with scores of 26-20, 23-17, 24-16, and 24-18.
Mustafa Hussein from Al Arabi emerged as the top scorer of the game, contributing 21 points, while Raslan Rashid Al Abdullah from Al Gharafa matched this total to lead his team in scoring. With this victory, Al Arabi increased their total to 25 points from 14 matches, maintaining their position in second place, whereas Al Gharafa are tied with Qatar SC for seventh place, each with 18 points.
The 15th round of games will conclude on Friday evening with two games: Al Khor will face Qatar SC at 8:30 PM, followed by a game between Al Shamal and Al Sadd at 10:30 PM, both taking place at Al Gharafa Hall.
The league operates on a two-round system, where each team competes in a series of matches to establish their rankings in the overall standings.
As the preliminary phase nears its conclusion, the competition among teams intensifies as they vie for one of the top eight positions, which ensures qualification for the “play-off” stage. The team finishing in ninth place will be eliminated from the tournament.
During the “play-off” stage, the first-place team will compete against the eighth-place team, the second will face the seventh, the third will take on the sixth, and the fourth will challenge the fifth.
The four victorious teams will advance to the semi-finals, which will follow the same elimination format. The tournament will culminate in a final match, conducted in a best-of-three format to determine the champion of the season.
