Yash Mudgal

*Gharafa defeated double defending champions Shamal in the final for their 2nd title

Abdulrahman Saad had a dream to win the Qatar basketball league title with Al Gharafa and he fulfilled that Sunday at their home court.

At the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall, Saad powered Al Gharafa to stun double defending champions Al Shamal 89-71 in the final of the Qatar Men’s League and regain the title after a gap of seven years.

Gharafa players hoist their coach Kosay Hatem after the win

“I am very happy to win. It was my dream to lift the league for Al Gharafa. We have a great set of players and we have combined well throughout the tournament. I hope we will continue our winning streak in the other tournaments also,” said Saad, who was declared the Player of the Tournament.

The Qatar international, who has grown up with Gharafa, was a 17-year-old when his club won their first Qatar league title. Although a part of that team, he did not play an important role in their maiden triumph in 2014. However, last year, he captained Gharafa to the league final, but they failed to go the full distance.

Gharafa coach Koussay Hatem, who has seen Saad develop as a top international player at the club, lauded his efforts. “I am very happy for Abdulrahman. He has always given his 100 percent for the club and I think he deserves more of it,” the long-serving Iraqi coach said.

Al Gharafa’s American star Franklin Session was the topscorer of the match with 24 points, while Al Shamal’s Lebanese player Wael Arkaji scored 21 points. Earlier in the day, Al Arabi defeated Al Sadd 82-70 to clinch the third place in the league. Vasileiadis Konstantinos scored 21 points for the winner, while Majok Ater scored matchhigh 25 points for the losers. On Saturday, Qatar Cup champions Al Wakrah defeated Al Khor 72-56 to finish fifth. Senegal star Ousseynou Mbow was the lead scorer with 21 points for the winners. Julius Coles also scored 17 points.