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Doha Marriott won the 12th Inter-Hotel Basketball League (IHBL) championship yesterday after beating La Cigale in a tight match at Al Sadd Sports Club.
The team, which has Ramon Leaño as its playing coach, worked hard to play defence. They gave their opponents a tough time in getting a good shot until they nailed a four-point victory, 58-54.
“It was a close fight and our opponents were really good. Our advantage was that we were faster and we really played as a team,” said Leaño, who lauded his players’ patience and endurance.
Besting 19 other hotel teams, he noted that this was their third championship title at IHBL. Dozens of hotel staff, including officials, watched the final and cheered on their respective teams and players.
“I told them stay focused and always play defence,” the coach added. “Our assists also worked well during the last quarter of the match.”
Last year, too, Doha Marriott won the championship after beating Holiday Villa 73-65 in the final.
IHBL president Tonette Reniva told Gulf Times that she saw a big improvement among the players’ performance, especially those who made it to the final. “It was a fantastic match,” she added.
With the full support of each participating hotel team, she stressed that the league is getting more successful every year.
IHBL aims to gather various hotels and hotel staff to take part in one of the most popular sports in the country. Renaissance hotel had volunteered to host the event this year.
Formed in 2003, IHBL started with only eight teams. Now, 20 hotels join the league aimed at promoting camaraderie and sportsmanship among hotel employees.
Reniva expressed confidence that many of the teams would work hard to further improve their game for next year’s competition. She had earlier stressed that IHBL was not under Pinoy Basketball of Qatar but was an independent group that hotels in Doha were entitled to join.