Budding rivals meet again as Kuwait Club set up Gulf League Final rematch versus Manama

KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait) - In what's growing to be a major rivalry in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL), Kuwait Club and Manama will duke it out for the Gulf League title again.

The rematch materialized after Kuwait Club swept Kazma, 122-79, in a lopsided Game 2 of the Semi-Finals, Tuesday night at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex.

It would be another meeting between two of the league's perennial contenders, with the both of them having a score to settle after what happened during the inaugurals.

Looking back, Kuwait Club won the Gulf League crown by sweeping Manama, but failed to win the ultimate prize when they lost to the Bahraini crew in the FIBA WASL Final.

Now, a tiebreaker of sorts will be taking place in the upcoming best-of-3 title bout that also features the first two teams that have booked their tickets to the FIBA WASL Final 8.

Game heroes: Cady Lalanne bannered the rout with 20 points and 9 rebounds, together with 4 assists and a steal on his way to earning STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors.

Marcus Georges-Hunt produced 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists and netted a game-high efficiency of 23.  Tony Carr made 16 points and 8 rebounds, with 5 assists.

Moh Hasan made 15 points, spiked by three triples, and 7 rebounds. His brother Hamad submitted 14-4-4 stat line, while Turki Alshemmari and Fahed Aldhafairi chipped in 12 points apiece as the two combined for 7 of the team's 16 treys in the victory.

Turning point: Kuwait Club jumped to a 16-6 start and that practically dictated how the game would go for the rest of the night. The crew finished the first half ahead by 15, and entered the final chapter holding a commanding 32-point advantage, 90-58.

They surpassed the century mark still with 6:17 to spare, 101-70, following a three-pointer by Aldhafairi off a Carr assist before cruising to the 43-point triumph.

Stats don't lie: Kuwait Club's 122 points are now the second-most points scored by a team in the Gulf League, just eight shy of tying, nine from surpassing the 130 set by Manama in their conquest of Al Shamal back in the Group Phase last February 5.

Their dominant showing saw the team dish out 29 assists, tied for fourth-most in the Gulf League with Muharraq. They also reigned supreme in the boards, 58-39, against a team that badly missed the services of key cogs that included Abdulaziz Alhamidi.

They said: "Manama, a good basketball team, obviously. The same match-up as last year. We can't take them lightly, for sure. We know that it's a very different team than these teams that we have in the league. Great transition team, great shooting team, that's their strength. But they're also a good defensive team. We won't take them lightly but like Cady said, I think we're the better team, and we have to show it." - Peter Schomers, Head Coach, Kuwait Club

"They're a great team. They're playing good basketball right now. They're playing well. I think we're the better team. We just gotta come in there and compete, and play hard. Just do our assignment on defense, see what they're doing, and just do what we gotta do to win the game." - Cady Lalanne, Kuwait Club.

"Maybe I sound negative, maybe this is not the right time to talk because I'm under emotions, but if we show up in the Semi-Final and we show our faces like this, then maybe we don't deserve to compete anymore in WASL. I'm sorry. If this is one of the biggest moments for the club and for the players, then no matter what kind of team is on the court, if we play like this, then this is the question that I need to ask." - Bojan Lazic, Head Coach, Kazma

"Really, we just lost our identity in these last two weeks. We gotta be thankful for the opportunity to play for Third Place. I played in a Third-Place Game last year, and I felt that's when my team lost its identity. So, to say I'm hopeful, to say I'm ambitious is easy. We have time to prepare. All I can say is I'll be ready. I hope we're ready. Muharraq is a good team. But I'll never give up faith in the game of basketball. There's always a chance. And I'll do whatever it takes to seize the opportunity." - Clint Chapman, Kazma

FIBA