Seef knocked out of Lion City Challenger 2026

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain's Seef were knocked out of the Lion City Challenger 2026 yesterday after a 21–14 quarter-final defeat to Japan's Shibuya in Singapore, with a blistering early run proving decisive.

Shibuya set the tone immediately, racing into a 5–0 lead behind the hot shooting of Kristaps Gluditis. He opened with a one-pointer before quickly adding a two, while Zigmars Raimo and Hiroto Takeda helped Shibuya establish early control. Seef, by contrast, struggled to find rhythm, with early turnovers from Uroš Ilic and Isa Jasim, and missed looks from Kelechi Austin Ajukwa and Bogdan Dragovic stalling their start.

The Japanese side's defensive pressure forced repeated errors, and the gap widened to 8–3 and then 10–4 as Gluditis repeatedly punished Seef from inside and beyond the arc. Seef briefly steadied through Ilic and Dragovic, who converted drives to keep the scoreboard moving, but every small response was met by Shibuya's organised offence.

Ajukwa offered Seef their main attacking spark, attacking the rim with intent and scoring in bursts, including a two-point play that trimmed the deficit midway through the game. Dragovic also contributed key baskets and playmaking to briefly close the gap as Seef showed signs of life.

However, Shibuya's control of the rebounds, led by Raimo, repeatedly shut down Seef's momentum and created second-chance opportunities. Gluditis remained the difference-maker in key moments, pushing the lead out to 16–11 and then 20–12 as Shibuya stayed firmly in command.

Seef mounted a late push, with Ilic and Dragovic cutting the deficit to 20–14, but Shibuya responded immediately to snuff out any comeback hopes.

Gluditis then sealed the win with the final point, completing a 21–14 victory and finishing as top scorer with 14 points. Ajukwa led Seef with seven, followed by Ilic with four and Dragovic with three, while Jasim was held scoreless.

The result ends Seef's run and their hopes of qualifying for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Lausanne Masters, with only the top three finishers in Singapore earning a place in August's event.