Manama through to Khalifa bin Salman Cup final

TDT | Manama   

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Holders Manama have powered into the final of the 2023/2024 Khalifa bin Salman Cup. Manama secured their place following a lopsided 97-52 victory over Al Hala to complete a two-game sweep of their best-of-three semi-final series.

Manama had previously taken game one 84-71 and then closed out their series in the follow-up. They are now set to take on the winners of the other semi-final series being contested between last year’s losing finalists Muharraq and Al Ahli.

Ahli won their opener 111-100 and will be looking to secure their place in the championship when the two teams meet again in game two tonight, scheduled for a 9pm start. In Manama’s win, they raced out to a 22-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, enjoying advantages as big as 45 points and never wavering.

Sir-Dominic Pointer was the star man once again, finishing with 23 points and leading six Manama players in double figures. Ali Jaber added 17 while Emran Hasan and Elyas Younis came off the bench to contribute 11 points apiece. Hassan Nowrooz and Travin Thibodeaux each chipped in with 10, with Thibodeaux also taking down 10 rebounds.

Alwatheq Ali had 11 to pace Hala, who were led to single-digit scoring in two quarters, including the third when they scored just six points. Abdulqader Thani added 10 in the loss. Manama won last year’s Khalifa bin Salman Cup after defeating Muharraq 75-72 in the final.

The result marked the second time Manama won the prestigious trophy. Their first was in the 2017/2018 season, and it secured them a league-and-cup double for the season, while also claiming the first-ever FIBA West Asia Super League title.