Action from the Al Wakrah-Al Ahli match in the Emir Cup yesterday. Right: Al Sadd proved too good for Al Shamal.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Al Wakrah produced a scintillating show in the third quarter to record an 87-78 win over Al Ahli in the Emir Cup basketball tournament at the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall yesterday.
Mildon Ambres was the star of the match with 36-points, while Adamu Saaka and Calvin Cage chimed in with 25 and 22 respectively to give Al Wakrah a reasonably comfortable win in the end.
The match appeared too close to call with Al Wakrah edging Al Ahli 24-22 at the end of the first quarter. But Al Ahli stormed back in the second period to take a 42-38 lead and put pressure on their rivals.
It was at this stage that Al Wakrah raised their game a couple of notches. They hit the court running and scored 14 points in the first five minutes while restricting al Ahli to just four.
That proved the turning point of the match as Al Ahli couldn’t cope with the pressure put on their defence. Nor did they manage to create enough scoring chances as the Al Wakrah defence held firm.
The next five minutes of the third quarter saw Al Wakah pull ahead further as they ended up 10 points clear (61-51).
The final quarter was a neck and neck affair with Al Ahli scoring 27 points and Al Wakrah netting 26. But Al Wakrah’s 10-point cushion in the third quarter came in handy as they secured a deserving win.
For Al Ahli Consteveous Jefferson bagged 25 points, while Tyrone McNeal had 24, while Omar Ahmed and Nercelliius Soyebo chipped in with 12 and 10 respectively.
Al Wakrah coach Ihab Galal was delighted with the win.
“It was a tough match and I am happy we came out winners,” he said. “Milton was axcellent and he received good support too from the other members of the team.”
In the second match of the day, Al Sadd thrashed Al Shamal 90-63. Khalid Suleiman Abdi top-scored for the winners with 26 points while Abdulrahman Saad and Parish Petti contributed 22 and 15 respectively.
Al Sadd led 19-15 at the end of the first quarter but from there on consolidated steadily to post a comprehensive win in the end.
