MANAMA, May 5: Manama of Bahrain will face off against Kuwait Club in the decisive third match of the “playoff” final round of the West Asian Basketball League’s Gulf region competitions. The game will take place at eight o’clock at the Sheikh Khalifa Hall in Isa Town.
In the previous encounters, “Al-Abyad” secured victory in the first match with a score of 86-74 in Manama. However, Kuwait bounced back, forcing a third deciding match by defeating Al-Abyad 77-73 last week.
Both Manama and Kuwait Club are prominent forces in Gulf basketball. While Kuwait Club claimed the Gulf region title in the last tournament edition, Manama emerged victorious in the finals against clubs from the west and center of the continent.
Having departed for Manama the day before yesterday, Al-Abyad underwent rigorous training sessions yesterday in preparation for the crucial showdown.
Kuwait Club aims to capitalize on their advantage over Manama and replicate their home victory from the first match. Meanwhile, the host seeks to assert its dominance in the Gulf region and secure the championship title.
In a separate match, Al-Arabi and Kazma will compete at 6:30 pm at the Al-Ittihad Hall in the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Indoor Hall Complex to determine the third and fourth places in the basketball league. Al-Akhdar narrowly won the first encounter 94-91 and aims to secure the bronze medal in today’s match.
Additionally, Kuwait Club and Al-Qadisiya will compete in the final match of a five-match “play-off” series starting next Friday, with the title going to the first team to achieve three victories.
Hassan Musa
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff