The Qatari Al-Gharafa hall is hosting today the quarter-finals of the 35th Arab Clubs Basketball Championship. The day begins with the match between the defending champion Kuwait and the Iraqi team Dijlah starting at 12:00 PM local time, followed by the game at 3:30 PM between the Bahraini surprise Al-Muharraq and the Moroccan Sala. At 6:00 PM, the Algerian Union will compete against the strong contender for the title, Beirut, and finally, the two Egyptian basketball powerhouses, Al-Ittihad Alexandria and Al-Ahly, will meet at 8:30 PM. The winner of the Kuwait vs. Dijlah match will face the winner of the Beirut and Algerian Union matchup, while the winner of Al-Muharraq and Sala will play against the winner of Al-Ittihad Alexandria and Al-Ahly in the semi-finals.
In the round of 16 matches held yesterday, Al-Muharraq triumphed over Dynamo Beirut with a score of 79/83, despite expectations leaning towards the latter. The Bahraini victory was fully deserved, attributed to a balanced performance in both defense and offense, featuring standout performances from foreign players Julius and Dung along with captain Badr Jassem, who scored 28, 20, and 19 points, respectively. Dynamo's foreign player Zack Lofton did not deliver his usual level in the first two periods and showed signs of tension, which led his coach Jad Al-Haj to bench him multiple times. He managed to narrow the gap to two points before the end with two minutes remaining, but Al-Muharraq's professionals maintained their team's lead. Lofton recorded the highest score of 32 points, with 24 coming from eight three-point attempts.
The second match between the Algerian Union and the host team was equally thrilling, ending in favor of the Algerian Union in the first overtime 70/77 after the original time ended in a tie at 62/62, following Qatar's lead in the first two periods. The key to victory was foreign player George Williams, who scored 32 points. The match between Dijlah and Al-Qadisiyah was also tightly contested until the final seconds, ending with a win for the former 90/94. The remaining matches concluded as expected, with Al-Ahly defeating Al-Fateh from Saudi Arabia 58/98, Kuwait winning against Al-Sib 49/90, Beirut defeating U19 Sana'a 69/121, and Sala overcoming Maghreb Tangier 75/88. The match between Al-Ittihad Alexandria and Services Al-Brij from Palestine was canceled due to the ongoing events in the Palestinian territories, with the Alexandria team declared the winner by 0/20.
On another note, Abdulrahman Al-Mas'ad, the Deputy Chairman of the Arab Federation, praised the level displayed by the teams in this round, particularly Al-Muharraq, Dijlah, and the Algerian Union, who were indeed the surprises of the tournament. Al-Mas'ad anticipated an open competition for the title as a result of the strong performances by the qualified teams.
On the sidelines, a welcome ceremony for the participating delegations was held the night before, attended by Major General Ismail Al-Qarqawi, President of both the Arab and Emirati Basketball Federations, along with the heads of the delegations where commemorative shields were exchanged.
