Bahrain Beat Egypt To Win Arab Under-18 Title

Bahrain’s under-18 basketball team retained the Arab title in Sfax on Saturday, beating Egypt 85-73 in the final to win the championship for the second year in a row.

The national youth side, beaten 88-60 by Egypt in their last group match, hit back when it mattered at Al Raed Al Bejaoui Hall, turning a one-point first-quarter deficit into a 12-point win.

Egypt edged the opening quarter 18-17, but Bahrain took charge before half-time to lead 38-35. They then pushed the gap to 58-48 by the end of the third quarter before closing out the final.

Sumto Patrick led Bahrain with 26 points, while Hassan Abdulqader added 22 and made his mark on the rebounds as Bahrain completed a strong campaign in Tunisia.

Bahrain reached the final after finishing second in the preliminary round with four wins and one defeat. They opened with a 60-51 win over Algeria before beating hosts Tunisia 78-66, then defeated Libya 73-58 and Morocco 73-46.

Their only loss came against Egypt in the final preliminary-round match, with qualification already sealed. The coaching staff used that game to rotate the squad and give more players time on court before the final.

The championship was played in a single round-robin format, with the top two sides advancing to the final.

Bahrain’s title win also came as part of their build-up for the Gulf Championship, which serves as a qualifier for the Asian Cup and is due to be held in Qatar next month.