Manama go down fighting

BAHRAIN champions Manama were last night dealt a disappointing start to their highly anticipated title defence in the 2023-24 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final Eight. Manama went down fighting 82-95 to Lebanese outfit CS Sagesse at Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Doha, Qatar. The Bahrainis were the early aggressors and led by as many as eight points in the first quarter, but after Sagesse found their groove in the second, where they outscored Manama 33-19, they never relinquished control. Manama tried bravely to fight back but got no closer than eight points in the final frame. American imports Cleanthony Early (203-F-1991, college: Wichita St.) and Jonathan Gibson (188-PG-1987, college: NM State) combined for 53 points to spearhead the victors. Gibson was on fire from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter, knocking down all three of his triples in the period alone, which helped the Lebanese maintain their advantage. Early finished with a game-high 27 to go with 12 rebounds, while Gibson added 26. Marc Khoueiry (185-PG-2001) chipped in with 14, while Serbian Nicholas Rakocevic scored 11. Manama will be looking to put last night’s setback behind them when they return to the hardwood tomorrow for their second assignment in Group A. The Bahrainis face off with Central Asia representatives BC Astana of Kazakhstan in a game scheduled for a 6pm tip-off at the same venue. Sagesse lock horns with compatriots and WASL West Asia sub-zone champions Al Riyadi Beirut that same evening. Manama play Riyadi in their final preliminary round contest on Wednesday. Group B features WASL Gulf sub-zone champions Kuwait Club and fellow-Kuwaitis Kazma, along with Shahradry Gorgan of Iran, and South Asian champions Tamil Nadu from India. After giving up the game’s first four points, Manama went on a 12-1 run to take command and built a 21-16 lead at the end of the opening period. Sagesse quickly erased their deficit to begin the second quarter, and powered ahead 30-25 with a driving lay-up by Omar Jamaleddine (193-G-2000, college: SLC). A 13-8 run, capped by a pair of Early free-throws, then gave them their first double-digit lead of the night, 43-33. Sagesse headed into the break up 49-40, and then in the third did well to maintain their cushion. A driving lay-up by Karim Ezzedine gave them a 67-54 lead, which they took with them into the fourth. There, Manama tried to close the gap and a Travin Thibodeaux lay-up brought them to within 75-83. But back-to-back Khoueiry triples with under two minutes left put Sagesse back up by 11 and virtually sealed the win. Devin Ebanks (206-F-1989, college: WVU) was Manama’s top scorer with 22 points while Sir'Dominic Pointer (198-G/F-1992, college: St.John's) added 17 and Salman Ahmed 15. Hussain Ali (179-PG-1993) contributed 12 markers in the loss. Following this single round-robin group stage, the top two clubs from each group will progress to the Final Eight’s semi-finals on Friday, while the third and fourth-placed teams will be eliminated from contention. The semis victors will then compete for the ultimate prize in the one-game final on Saturday, which will be preceded by a bronze medal contest. Manama are the WASL’s defending overall champions and they are aiming for their second straight regional crown. They have already won a domestic double with the titles in the 2023-24 Zain Bahrain Basketball League and Khalifa bin Salman Cup, and just like last year, they are gunning for an unprecedented treble.
Courtesy of: gdnonline.com