El Jaish’s Larell Taggart dunks against Rayyan during their Emir Cup basketball semi-final playoff yesterday.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
El Jaish set up a cracking Emir Cup title clash with Al Gharafa after an 84-72 win over Al Rayyan in their semi-final playoff decider at the Gharafa Indoor Hall yesterday.
With both teams having scored a win each in their previous two matches, Rayyan needed a win to stay on course for their first title of the season but their plans were foiled by a clinical performance by El Jaish who led throughout the match and never let their advantage slip.
Deangelo Downey shot 26 points for El Jaish, while Larell Taggart and Nathaniel Johnson gave him able support with 20 and 15 respectively.
Downey scored four times from the three-point mark and had a 50% field goal conversion success in the full 40 minutes he was on the court, scoring points at crucial junctures for his match-high score.
Al Rayyan, who have failed to win any tournament this year, trailed 30-22 at the end of the first quarter and 45-32 after the second, but El Jaish ramped up their game to extend their lead by 24 points after the third.
For Al Rayyan, Desean Jones scored 18 points, while Collin Allred had 16 and Jermareo Davidson 14.
“The boys put up a tremendous show and proved we deserved to be in the final,” El Jaish coach Dragoslav Milovanovic said.
“Hopefully, we can do the same in the final against Al Gharafa and win our first title this year,” he added.
The final will be played on Friday.
