Muharraq edge Manama in thriller

TDT | Manama                                          

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Ali Shukrallah buried the go-ahead basket to lift Muharraq to an 89-87 upset victory over bitter rivals and defending champions Manama last night in week 19 of the 2022/2023 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.

Ali Shukrallah buried the go-ahead basket to lift Muharraq to an 89-87 upset victory over bitter rivals and defending champions Manama last night in week 19 of the 2022/2023 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.

With the game tied at 87-apiece in the final minute, Shukrallah fired in a baseline jumper to beat the shot block and give his team the single-possession advantage. Shukrallah then added to his heroics with a steal off a Mohammed Ameer pass on the ensuing possession, forcing Manama to foul with just two seconds left on the clock.

Bader Abdulla Malabes missed both charity shots but it mattered little as Manama were unable to get the ball back into their own half. It was a dramatic ending to a see-saw game that saw both teams battle hard over its entire duration.

With the result, Muharraq improved to a 13-4 win-loss record to rise to second on the league standings, just a point behind Manama, who suffered only their third loss but stayed atop the table. Malabes finished as the game’s leading scorer with 26 points, including five three-pointers.

American Tony Mitchell added 20 points and 11 rebounds for Muharraq, while Abdulla Rabeea had 19. Shukrallah finished with 10 markers and 14 boards, while also registering five steals. Mohammed Ameer scored 20 points off the bench to pace Manama in defeat, while Hasan Nowrooz added 16 and Mustafa Hussain and Ahmed Salman each contributed 14.

Elijah Robinson was held to just 12 points. Back-to-back three-pointers by Malabes turned a 73-75 deficit to a 79-75 lead for Muharraq midway through the final quarter. Mitchell then added another triple in transition, extending Muharraq’s lead to 82-75.

But Manama roared back with seven unanswered points to tie the game once more, until Malabes fired in another basket from long range, only to be answered by a Salman triple for an 85-all deadlock with under two minutes left.

Baskets from Mitchell and Salman then made it 87-apiece, setting the stage for Shukrallah’s game-winner. In yesterday’s other league fixture, Al Hala trounced bottom-of-the-table Isa Town 99- 68. Hala built a 27-18 lead at the end of the first quarter and stretched their advantage to 56- 36 at the half.

They then outscored Isa Town 27-10 in the third to make it 83-46 with one quarter to go, and they cruised to the finish. Ali Oun Rustam scored 29 points, including five three-pointers, off the bench to pace Hala, who led by as many as 37 in the game.

Nader Ali added 23 points and seven triples, while Alwatheq Ali scored 18 in the win. For Isa Town, Oumar Barry had 23 points and nine rebounds while Mohammed Nabeel finished with 12 markers. Hala claimed their ninth win in 17 games and improved to 26 points on the standings, while Isa Town suffered their league-worst 16th loss to go with just one win for 18 points.

League action continues tonight with just one game on schedule. Tipping off at 7.30pm, Nuwaidrat face off with Al Ettihad to wrap up the 19th week of action.