Basketball: UAE sides go down fighting

Dubai - Al Ahli very nearly brought off an upset before bowing out 38-41

The four UAE sides taking part in the second Dubai Junior International Basketball Championship went down fighting in the opening matches, Saturday night.
Qusais-based Al Ahli very nearly brought off an upset before bowing out 38-41 to the bigger built Bayern Munich team in the tournament opener.
Partizan, here with a big reputation in the sport worldwide, especially after Serbia's silver medal at the Rio Olympics, kept the Serbian flag flying high at the American University of Dubai parquet facility in the second fixture on Saturday night.
The under 17s from Dubai's Al Shabab Club put up strong resistance in the first quarter and then tried freezing tactics when the point gap was reduced. However the technically sound youngsters from Serbia with their long reach and rebound efficiency, off both boards, saw them make their intentions clear before cruising to a 50-38 victory.
It was the turn of Dubai's Al Nasr Club to restore some balance to the day's results as far as the local challenge was concerned. The Blues very nearly did it like Al Ahli earlier in the evening. Egypt's Al Ahly who have one of the strongest basketball setups in Africa, had to fight hard throughout the 36-minute encounter where the playmaking skills and three-pointer conversions of Al Nasr nearly rattled them in the third period. The Egyptian lads held their nerves better with longer ball possession in the final quarter to register a 45-40 victory over the Nasr fives.
Al Wasl, another big club in basketball in the UAE, had a flashy approach which did unnerve the Jordanians of Al Riyadi Club. Man to man the talent and dribbling skills of the yellows did make life uncomfortable for Riyadi, but the turnovers off the fast Wasl raids were well converted by the Jordanian teenagers who stamped their class for a 47-26 victory, in the single league cum knockout championship which ends on September 2.
Barcelona (Spain) and Sharjah, champions and runners-up in the 2015 inaugural edition when Sharjah were edged by two points in the title round, are not in the event this year.
moni@khaleejtimes.com