Al Shamal achieves first victory, and Al Rayyan lead Amir Cup Basketball Championship

Doha: Al Shamal secured their inaugural victory in the 2024-2025 Amir Cup Basketball Championship by defeating Al Khor 69-62 in a Group B game held on Saturday evening at Al Gharafa Sports Club.

Al Shamal commenced the game with a robust performance and focused strategy, finishing the first quarter with a score of 23-20, aided by a strong start and organized defensive efforts. Conversely, Al Khor regained their composure in the second quarter, showcasing an impressive performance, particularly through Shawqi Abdel Hamid, who emerged as the standout player for his team, scoring 23 points. Al Khor claimed the second quarter with a score of 22-16, leading by three points at halftime.

As the second half began, Al Shamal's resolve to regain control of the match was apparent. Their players gradually mounted a comeback, led by the exceptional performances of Jeffrey Newberry and Emmanuel Ezenwa Egbotta, each contributing 21 points to the team's total. Al Shamal narrowly won the third quarter by a single point (15-14), utilizing a collaborative approach to create scoring opportunities. In the final quarter, Al Shamal exerted complete dominance on the court, steadily increasing their lead as they capitalized on Al Khor's physical fatigue.

The quarter concluded with a score of 15-6, solidifying their well-deserved seven-point victory. With this win, Al Shamal elevated their points total to three, recovering from their initial loss to Al Rayyan.

Meanwhile, Al Khor remained at two points following their second consecutive defeat. Al Shamal is set to continue their tournament journey with a challenging game against Al Wakrah on Wednesday evening, April 30, 2025, while Al Khor will face Al Rayyan on the same day, in games that could be pivotal for advancing to the semi-finals in Group B.

It is worth noting that Al Shamal lost their opening game to Al Rayyan 106-83, while Al Khor suffered their first loss to Al Wakrah 79-56.

In another game in the same group, Al Rayyan achieved an important victory over Al Wakrah 93-79, taking sole possession of the lead in Group B with a perfect score of 4 points, while Al Wakrah remained on 3 points.

Al Rayyan started the game strongly and managed to win the first period (26-16). Their superiority continued in the second period (27-16). Al Wakrah came back strongly in the third period and secured a 22-17 victory. Al Wakrah's superiority continued in the fourth period (25-23), but the score was not enough to secure the victory. Al Rayyan's Tyler James Lee Harris and Al Wakrah's Sindou Ismail Diallo were the top scorers with 27 points.

This season's Amir Cup Basketball Championship is being held in two groups. Group A includes Al Arabi, Al Sadd, Al Ahli, Al Gharafa, and Qatar SC, while Group B includes Al Rayyan, Al Shamal, Al Wakrah, and Al Khor.

The group stage games will be played in a single-round league format. The first-place team in each group will advance directly to the semi-finals, while the second- and third-place teams will compete in a knockout round to determine the remaining finalists.

The semi-finals will be played in a best-of-three format, followed by the highly anticipated final, scheduled for Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the Al Gharafa Club Hall.