Amir Cup: Al Arabi And Al Rayyan Take Game 1 Leads In Semi-Finals

Doha: Defending champions Al Arabi and Al Rayyan got their Amir Cup semi-final campaigns off to flying starts yesterday.

Al Arabi crushed Al Wakrah 111-84 before Al Rayyan, overcame Al Ahli 88-79 in a thriller at Al Gharafa Indoor Hall.

In the opening semi-final series clash, Al Arabi stamped their dominance from the opening tip, racing to a 32-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Thereafter, Al Wakrah could not recover as Elmedin Kikanovic delivered an outstanding performance, posting 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks in his 26-minute stay on the court.

Al Arabi upped the tempo with Mustafa Husein Ali Ahmed Rashed making 19 points, while Abdulrahman Saad added 12. Bruce Anthony Massey Jr. made 10 points, while captain Khaled Roushdy Abdelbaset made a game-high contribution of six assists in addition to making six rebounds and scoring eight points.

Al Wakrah relied heavily on American forward Sindou Ismael Diallo who topped all scorers with 26 points and six rebounds, while Aaron Randolph Mitchell contributed 22 points and five assists.

Mubarak Rashid Jama made six rebounds, yet Al Wakrah failed to match Al Arabi's prowess as they finished 27 points behind despite a 31-28 effort in the final quarter.

Later, Al Rayyan seized a 1-0 advantage following a thriller that saw a see-saw battle. Al Ahli led the first and second quarters with scores reading 44-41, but Al Rayyan fought back with convincing scores in the second half.

Justin Jamel Wright-Foreman poured in 26 points, Tyler Harris added 23 and veteran guard Demarquiss Bost chipped in 16 with six assists to swell Al Rayyan's score.

Tyree Crump led the scoring for Al Ahli with 21 points, while Raekwon Rogers posted an 8-point, 8-rebound effort despite the loss. The teams will meet again tomorrow for Game 2 of their respective semi-finals.

MENAFN16052025000063011010ID1109558350