Young Reds Sink Lebanon in Asia Cup Opener

TDT | Manama

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The young Reds hit Lebanon hard from the off and held off a late charge to win 74-68 in Ahmedabad on Thursday, giving Bahrain a winning start to their FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup campaign.

Bahrain tore into Lebanon from the opening buzzer, taking the first quarter 22-11 before heading into half-time 37-25 up.

They kept the pressure on after the break. A 21-18 third quarter sent Bahrain into the last 10 minutes with a 58-43 lead and Lebanon with a mountain to climb.

Then came the fightback.

Lebanon piled on 25 points in the fourth and held Bahrain to 16, but the young Reds had done enough early on. They held on through the closing minutes to seal a six-point win.

Hot-shooting duo Hassan Abdulkadir and Mahdi Habib led Bahrain with 19 points each, while all five starters reached double figures.

Abdulkadir was a force at both ends. He played all 40 minutes, pulled down 14 rebounds, made four steals and blocked three shots. He hit six of 13 from the floor and seven of 11 from the free-throw line.

Habib ran the show alongside him, shooting six of 10 from the field and handing out eight assists. He also made two steals and sank six of nine free throws.

Somto Patrick ruled the boards with 18 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds, and added 14 points in 39 minutes.

Mujtaba Ismael and Mohammed Adel chipped in with 10 points each, leaving Bahrain’s starting five with 72 of the team’s 74 points.

The win gives Bahrain a flying start in Group B, where they will also face New Zealand and Syria. New Zealand beat Syria 67-58 in their opening game.

Bahrain are playing in the Under-18 Asian championship for the first time since 2018, when they finished seventh.

They earned their place in India after topping the Gulf qualifiers in Doha with four wins from four games.

Thursday’s result also continued Bahrain’s recent success against Lebanon at youth level. Many of the same players featured when Bahrain beat Lebanon 70-68 at the FIBA Under-16 Asia Cup last year.

Bahrain face New Zealand on Saturday before meeting Syria on Monday in their final Group B match.

The group winners go straight into the quarter-finals, while the second and third-placed teams enter a play-off for a place in the last eight.

The four semi-finalists will earn places at the 2027 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in the Czech Republic.