Qatar Basketball

Al Gharafa Claims Qatar Basketball Cup 2017 Title

Point guard Michael Taylor more than lived up to his role and powered Al Gharafa Club to a hard-fought 104-91 triumph to dethrone Al Rayyan Club in the Qatar Cup Basketball Championship final on Friday.

In front of a sizeable crowd at the home court, Al Gharafa Club, who had lost the title to Al Rayyan Club last season, played the opening and last quarter brilliantly to keep active and sharp Al Rayyan Club under pressure in the highly offensive match.

Taylor was the pivot of their fourth title in the seventh final as he shot at an impressive 64 percent from the floor. His 16 shots included six three-pointers off eight attempts beyond the arc.

Al Gharafa were off to a flier, getting 24 to 11 in the first five minutes, before finishing the quarter with a 12-point cushion. At one stage, they pulled 17 points clear, reaching 41-24.

Al Rayyan rallied back through point guard Addison Spruill, power forward Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem, centre Marcus Bell, forward Tanguy Ngombo and shooting guard Mohamed Hassan Mohamed.

Two strong quarters helped eight-time champions Al Rayyan Club close out the gap. And before the final 10 minutes started, they were trailing by a mere two points (76-78). The game promised more fireworks.

However, Taylor, whose coach Koussay Hatem expected him to bear more responsibility in this match particularly, placed his team into a strong position, notching up the first five baskets. As a result, Al Gharafa Club got the lift-off they wanted and they turned around the match nearly inside the first four minutes.

Al Rayyan Club tried to reduce the gap every time they got the possession. However, they could not narrow down the margin less than five points due to turn-overs or missing the rim. Soon, power forward Sammt Monroe Jr joined Taylor in the act and the two guided their side to the well-deserved title, their first in two seasons.

Al Gharafa Club coach Hatem said, “We made it hard for ourselves in the beginning. We had a good lead but we could not push the rivals further. However, all credit goes to Al Rayyan, who came back strongly, played superbly in offence and battled till the last seconds.

“This was very hard and offensive match. The scoring also underlines it well. We were under pressure after we got past El Jaish. Our players handled the pressure well and we managed to come through this difficult final. I’m very happy with the first title in two years,” added Hatem.

Al Gharafa centre Omar Abdelkader Salem, who had a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds, said, “We were determined to grab the second chance for a title this season. It was not an easy match. But we maintained our offence till the end and neutralised Al Rayyan Club in the fourth quarter.

“We’re delighted with our fine showing. We hope we can carry it forward in the Emir Cup, where we finished runners-up to El Jaish last season. We’ll be trying to reverse the result in this championship too,” added the Al Gharafa Club centre.

Malek Seleem Abdulla, the former Al Rayyan Club shooting guard, who switched to Al Gharafa Club this year, said: “We worked hard through the whole season. We started with the third place in the Arab Championship, which was a big boost to us. Then we got the second place in the Qatar League behind a very strong El Jaish team, which was great for us.

“Then, in the Qatar Cup, we managed to gain our revenge against El Jaish on the way to the final. We really wanted to win something in the domestic season. So tonight, we had our first chance. Al Rayyan are a difficult team. It was an offensive game. I think we did better than Al Rayyan in the end.

“Now, our eyes are on the upcoming Emir Cup and Inshallah, we’ll win that as well,” added Abdulla, who had a 100 percent shot – his three throws included a downtown.

Monroe was another influential player in Al Gharafa line up. He contributed 22 points and collected 11 rebounds to post a superb double-double.

For Al Rayyan Club, Abdelhaleem netted 26 points, Ngombo had 16. Spurill and Mohamed Hassan Mohamed gathered 15 each, while Bell notched up a double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds).

Qatar Basketball Federation President Ahmed Abdulrahman al Muftah, QBF Secretary-General Ali al Malki and other officials were present during the prize distribution ceremony. The QBF head handed over the medals and trophies to both teams.

Results
Al Gharafa Club beat Al Rayyan Club 104 – 91
Main performers – Al Gharafa Club: Michael Taylor 43 pts, Sammy Monroe Jr 22 pts & 11 rebounds, Omar Abdelkader Salem 10 pts & 13 rebounds, Hassino Ndoye 11 pts

Al Rayyan Club: Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem 26 pts, Tanguy Ngombo 16 pts, Addison Spruill 15 pts, Mohamed Hassan Mohamed 15 pts, Marcus Bell 13 pts & 11 rebounds

Quarter Al Gharafa Al Rayyan G/L
First 35 23 +12
Second 53 (+18) 49 (+26) +4
Third 78 (+25) 76 (+27) +2
Fourth 104 (+25) 91 )+15) +13

Teams – Al Gharafa Club:
*Abdulrahman Mohamed Saad, Nedim Muslic, *Hassino Ndoye, Aasem Shalfawi, Raslan al Abdulla, Khalid Abdulla Adam, *Omar Abdelkader Salem, Malek Salem Abdulla, * Sammy Monroe Jr, * Michael Taylor
Head coach: Koussay Hatem; Assistant coach: Yasser Abdul Waab

Al Rayyan Club:
Mohamed Abdelaziz Elsayed, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, Hani Aref, Omar Nasser al Khanji,
*Tanguy Ngombo, *Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem, Meho Haracic, Hammam Omar, * Marcus Bell, *Mohamed Hassan Mohamed, Mohammad Faraj Aman, *Addison Spruill
Head coach: Hassan Amin; Assistant coach: Meshaal al Enazi