Al Ahli's Christos Bratsiakos dribbles past Al Gharafa's Byron Kelly Ashe during their Amir Cup Group 1 match, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Al Ahli outclassed Al Gharafa 78-60 while Al Shamal rallied to beat Al Khor 95-86 in their Group 1 matches to start their Amir Cup basketball tournament campaigns on a winning note at Al Gharafa Sports Club yesterday.
Al Ahli were boosted by a fine performance from Stephen Chukwuemeka Ugochukwu, who had 22 points, five rebounds and two assists.
They led the first period 24-10 and stretched their lead to 55-25 in the second period.
Al Gharafa attempted to make a comeback in the third period and managed to take score to 39-62 before the final session.
They dominated the last quarter but Al Ahli ended up as clear winners thanks to a dominant performance in the opening sessions.
Apart from Ugochukwu, captain Khalid Suliman Abdi made a valuable contribution for Al Shamal with 19 points, eight rebounds and a couple of assists.
Albert James English Iii was the standout performer for Al Gharafa with 16 points, four rebounds and as many assists, along with Charles Justin Aiken, who scored 14 points besides 15 rebounds and an assist.
Al Ahli will next face Al Shamal on June 2 while Al Gharafa will take on defending champions Al Sadd on June 5.
Meanwhile, Qatar Basketball League finalists Al Shamal managed to claim full points after a tough fight against Al Khor, thanks to a strong show in the final period. After conceding an 18-28 lead in the first period, Al Shamal fought back to cut the lead to 40-46.
Al Khor were still leading 64-62 before the final session which witnessed a brilliant performance from Al Shamal to secure win.
Al Khor’s Ameer Stafford Jackson was outstanding in the match with 23 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists but his heroics could not save his side from defeat in their opening match. Sindou Ismael Diallo and Uchenna Onyekachi Iroegbu scored 23 points each for the winning side.
Al Khor will play their next match against Al Ahli on June 5.
Today’s schedule includes Group 2 matches with pre-event favourites Al Rayyan set for Al Wakrah clash while Qatar SC are pitted against Al Arabi in the second match.
