Bahrain finish 12th after China defeat

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s youth men’s basketball national team ended their debut campaign in the 31st Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany with a 58-75 loss to China yesterday. The result came in the 11thplace classification game.

The defeat confirmed a 12thplace finish for the Bahrainis, who went winless in the preliminary round after losses to hosts Germany, Sweden, Slovenia, Japan, and Türkiye in Group A.

Bahrain were on the back foot early against China, who opened with a dominant first quarter to take a 27-11 lead. That gap proved decisive, with the nationals unable to fully recover despite improved performances in the remaining periods.

They showed better resistance in the second quarter, narrowly edging it 16-14, but still trailed 32-41 at the break. China regained control in the third, outscoring Bahrain 20- 13 to stretch their advantage to 60-45 heading into the final frame.

Bahrain continued to battle in the fourth and again outscored their opponents 18-14, but the early deficit remained too much to overturn as China secured a comfortable 75-58 victory.

Hassan Abdulkadir led Bahrain with 21 points and 15 rebounds in another standout performance, while Somto Patrick Onoduenyi added 17 points and 15 boards. Mahdi Baqer contributed eight points, but Bahrain struggled from long range, converting just five of 25 attempts from beyond the arc.

China had a balanced scoring effort, with Boxin Zhao leading the way with 14 points and seven rebounds. Yuxiu Chen added 13 points, while Ziyi Zhang scored 10 as they controlled the contest from the outset.

Vovoras’ side were competing in Germany as part of their preparations for the Gulf Basketball Association qualifiers for the Fiba U18 Asia Cup 2026. Despite finishing without a win, the team gained valuable experience against some of the world’s top youth sides.

They will now turn their focus to the upcoming GBA qualifiers, aiming to build on the lessons learned and secure qualification for the continental tournament in Doha.