Al Rayyan edged El Jaish 81-75 to set up a title clash with Al Gharafa in the Qatar Cup basketball tournament yesterday.
In a thrilling match at the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall, Al Rayyan began to pull away after the halfway stage to clinch the three-match semi-final series 2-1. Al Gharafa had qualified for the finals after beating Al Shamal 2-0.
The match appeared too close to close after the first two quarters when the teams were tied at 17-17 and 33-33, but Al Rayyan upped the ante to score 21 points in the third period and restricted El Jaish to just 17 to edge ahead 54-50.
Al Rayyan’s narrow lead stood them in good stead going into the final period when both teams attacked relentlessly.  But Al Rayyan still managed to stay ahead scoring 27 points to clinch the issue as Jaish managed only 25.
Al Rayyan’s Alban Ngombo was the top scorer in the match with 28 points, while Lawrence Hill contributed 22 and Salem Abdulla had 11. Hassan Mohamed and Yaseen Ismail chipped in with 10 apiece. Ismail also had seven assists and five steals. For El Jaish, Leon Macklin excelled with 22 points, while Ernest Bell had 18 and Hani Abilmona had 14.
The final will be played on Tuesday.
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