DOHA: Basketball giants Al Rayyan yesterday crushed Al Gharafa 83-71 to bag Qatar Cup title at Al Gharafa Indoor Hall.
Abdulla Malek Salem scored 25 points while team-mate Davon James Dominic poured in 22 points as Al Rayyan retained lead in all the four quarters to claim their second successive trophy this season.
Star James celebrated his brilliant performance with 9 assists.
Earlier this month, Al Rayyan - coached by Koufos Stergios - won the Qatar Basketball League (QBL) title for the second time in a row at the same venue.
Ngombo Tanguy Alban scored 14 points for Al Rayyan who were also served well by Hill Lawrence who managed a tally of 5 points and 7 assists in the hard-fought clash.
Abdelhaleem Abdelrahman scored 8 points while Mohamed Mohamed Hassan produced a tally of 6 points.
For Al Gharafa, coached by Koussay Hatem - Saad Abdulrahman Mohamed emerged as the highest scorer with a tally of 25 points.
Massey Jeremiah Timotheus also enjoyed a good performance, managing 23 points in what turned out to be a losing cause. Timotheus had 3 assists.
Galloway Kevin Dwayne was the third Al Gharafa player to reach the double figures. Dwayne scored 12 points and had 7 assists.
Ndoye Hassino scored 7 points to go with his 3 assists.
Al Rayyan closed the first quarter at 25-18 followed by scores of 43-34 in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, Al Rayyan were leading 62-45 to suggest an easy win but Al Gharafa fought well in the final to reduce the gap.
Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) President Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrehman Al Thani presented the medals and the trophies to players of the finalists.
Al Rayyan celebrations were led by captain Yassen Musa who waved the club flag as coach Stergios was seen ‘biting’ the gold medal at the prize distribution ceremony.
Al Rayyan club’s Vice President Rashid bin Nasser Al Khalifa said: “Thank God for this honour. We are proud of our team. They always fight to the last. They always fight to win. They are not interest in finishing second.”
He added: “We were good in attack and defense. Now we will turn our focus on the next tournament which is the Emir Cup. This was a memorable tournament for us.
Al Khalifa said: “We played in the league also. Al Rayyan players look to dominate. This is our motto at the club also. Whether it is a big match or a regular game, we look to put on a memorable performance.”
Al Rayyan player Malek Salem said: “I want to congratulate Al Gharafa on a good performance but our team clearly presented a better show. Al Rayyan plays with confidence and thank God for the good players we have.”
Salem added: “There have been good sides in the event. We didn’t have any easy games. We are blessed with a brilliant coach and backroom set-up. We are confident of playing well in future also.”
Al Rayyan club manager said: “This is the title we were after. I am glad we got there. Now we look forward. This a club that plays to win. We played all games in the tournament to dominate. Al Rayyan is the top team in the country. Our style is hard to match. We like to lead always.”
The Peninsula
