Manama hold off Muharraq

A chance to rewrite their story beckons for Manama. The reigning Fiba West Asia Super League (WASL) champions moved a win away from returning to the Gulf League Final following an 86-78 victory over Muharraq in Game 1 of their sub-zone semis series last night at the Khalifa Sport City in Isa Town. They have a chance to close it out in Game 2 in the same venue, which, if they do, would give them another shot at the Gulf title after being swept by Kuwait Club in the inaugurals. Game 2 of the best-of-three affair is set next Monday at 10pm. Ahmed Haji (175-PG-1994) top-scored for Manama with 21 points on an excellent 72.7-percent from the field, including a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc. Sir'Dominic Pointer (198-G/F-1992, college: St.John's) flirted with a triple-double as he registered 20 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, together with two steals and a game-high 5 blocks. The seasoned forward netted an efficiency of 40 on the way to earning the Player of the Game honours. Travin Thibodeaux (203-F-1996, college: New Orleans) supplied 16 points and seven rebounds plus a pair of assists, while the returning Devin Ebanks (206-F-1989, college: WVU) chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds in the triumph. Manama jumped to a 20-7 start and they would remain in the driver’s seat for the rest of the night. They even led by as many as 16 points twice in the game, but the win was by no means easy for the charges of Coach Linos Gavriel. They already held a 14-point advantage with under five minutes to go but Muharraq put together an 8-0 run – capped by a Ricky Ledo (201-SF-1992, college: Providence, agency: Slash Sports) three-point play of an Ebanks foul – to knock within just six, 83-77, with only 1:59 remaining in the game. But Muharraq could no longer chop the deficit any further, with Tyler Wilkerson and Ledo failing to find the mark after leading the aforementioned run. Sir'Dominic Pointer would go on to seal the deal following a perfect trip to the foul line with 23 seconds left.
Courtesy of: gdnonline.com