QAT – Sadd down Ahli; Army win over Gharafa

DOHA (QBF Men’s League) - Al Sadd and Al Jeysh Army saddled themselves firmly in the number two position with clinical wins on Wednesday as leaders and defending champions Al Rayyan earned a win by forfeit against Al Arabi.

Sadd stopped a high-flying Al Ahli in their tracks with a second half rally that culminated in a 70-54 win and Army led from the beginning before finishing off last year’s runners-up Al Gharafa 84-75.

Interestingly, Sadd and Army are tied for the second spot with identical win-loss records.

In other action, Qatar Club kept Al Wakrah winless in the season with an 85-68 win.

Baker leads Army march

Baker Mohammed led Army’s win with 24 points, in a 9/17 field shooting and 9 rebounds.

The 25-year-old forward, who had played a key role when Gharafa won the Heir Apparent Cup last year, also had 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.

Seasoned Qatar international Ali Turki had 18 points and 6 assists as Army went ahead 24-21 in the first quarter, maintaining a steady lead for the remainder of the game.

Sheikh Ahmed had 16 points while Babikr Marouni led Army’s rebounding with 8 collections to go with his 11 points.

Chudney Gray’s 27-point game-high went in vain for Gharafa. As did Omar Abd’s double double - the game's only one -  with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Oussaynay Ndaye and Marzouq Faraj had 10 points each for Koussay Hatem’s team, who now face an uphill task to emulate their last year’s performance.

Gharafa line up against Wakrah on Sunday in their next outing and Army take on Sadd, an encounter that already will go a long way in the race for the number two slot.

Sadd strike in the second half

Al Ahli, the only team to have beaten leaders Al Rayyan this season, seemed in control of the proceedings, when they led 22-18 at the end of the first quarter and 34-21 at the end of the first half.

Sadd struck back early in the second half leveling the scores at 40 midway through the third quarter and closed the quarter with a dazzling 14-1 run.

That took the winds out of Ahli’s sails.

Veteran Daoud Mousa led Sadd’s scoring with a 25-point game-high and American Clint Deas forward had a double double – 13 points and a game-high 19 rebounds.

Khalid Suliman had 21 points and Yousif Ahmed had an impressive all-round show – 9 points and 12 rebounds.

American Maurice Hargrow, Ahli’s mainstay this season, suffered a slump in form – drawing a blank in 14 field attempts and got his 2 points from free-throws – and the rest of the Brian Rowsom’s team failed to make enough amends.

Veteran Hashim Zaidan’s double double – 14 points and a dozen rebounds – Mohammed Beka’s 16 points and Manyacka Eyoum’s 13 points was not sufficient to compensate for Hargrow’s woefully insufficient contribution.

The next set of games will be played on Saturday-Sunday.

QBF League Standings
1. Al Rayyan 8-1
2. Al Sadd 7-2
3. Al Jeysh Army 7-2
4. Al Ahli 5-4
5. Al Gharafa 5-4
6. Qatar Club 3-6
7. Al Arabi 1-8
8. Al Wakrah 0-9

FIBA Asia/FIBA