Will the sub-zone Semis be complete next week? These four aim to

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Four teams will look to formalize their entries into the next round as the FIBA WASL Season 2 Sub-Zone Qualification to Semi-Finals continue this week.

Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai versus Muharraq

March 11, 2024
Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai, UAE
22:00 local time (GMT+3)

Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai took care of business on the road in Game 1 and can finish it off on Monday night as they host Muharraq at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall.

Game time is at 22:00 local time, with the Emirati club shooting to sweep their way into the next round and set up a best-of-3 bout with reigning FIBA WASL champions Manama.

Coach Oualid Zrida's squad was actually undermanned in the series opener with key cogs such as Nick Minnerath out due to an illnes, but the trio of Qais Omar Alshabebi, Assane Boye, and Chavaughn Lewis combined for 76 points to lead the way toward the 97-87 victory.

Surely, they'd be leaned on once again in Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai's bid of closing it out as the team aiming to return to the Semis as quick as they can unlike in Season 1, where they got pushed to the distance by Al Nasr Riyadh before arranging a match with Kuwait Club.

But definitely, Muharraq wouldn't want to see that happen, with the side of Coach Saleh Al Haddad out to fight for dear life to keep their Semis aspirations alive.

There's also no other opportunity for them to lay their struggles to rest than in Monday's game, for they are in the midst of a three-game slide dating back to the Group Phase.

Al Rayyan versus Kazma

March 12, 2024
Al Rayyan Indoor Hall, Doha, Qatar
22:00 local time (GMT+3)

It would be interesting to see if Kazma have really learned from last season's lesson as they try to close out Al Rayyan on Tuesday at the Al Rayyan Indoor Hall in Doha.

For a bit of a refresher, the Kuwaiti side took Game 1 of their Qualification to Semis battle against Manama, only to let the latter storm back and eventually complete the rally. The rest, as they say, is history as the proud club from Bahrain went on to win the whole thing.

It's something that Kazma haven't forgotten about, making Game 2 of their present series against the youth-laden Qatari team a chance to exorcise the ghost of the past.

Veterans Abdulaziz Alhamidi and Ahmad Albaloushi plus new acquisition Elijah Williams came through in the fourth quarter to stave off the hard-fighting Al Rayyan in Game 1, 69-61, and the three are looked at to deliver once more as they go for the jugular.

Should they win, Kazma will meet reigning Gulf League champions Kuwait Club in the Semis. But Al Rayyan want that match-up, too, to make their maiden FIBA WASL campaign memorable, and that's why sending the series to a Game 3 is their priority.

Al-Ittihad Ahli versus Al Shorta

March 13, 2024
Al Hamadaniyeh Stadium, Aleppo, Syria
22:00 local time (GMT+3)

No Iraqi club has made it to the West Asia League Semis but Al Shorta could change that as they try to show Al-Ittihad Ahli the door on Wednesday night.

Showing how much they've been growing under the tutelage of Ghassan Sarkis, Al Shorta proved that they can close out games strongly en route to winning Game 1, 89-73, at home behind a balanced attack led by Terry Smith, who had 10 of his 21 points in the fourth.

Impactful as well in that triumph were the quartet of Mohammad Al-Khafaji, Delwan Graham, Hassan Abdullah, and Ali Ismael, and they all would want to replicate their solid performances in an aim to book a meeting with the undefeated Shahrdary Gorgan in the Semis.

That, however, could be easier said than done. Sarkis and Co. are expecting a big challenge ahead of them as they will have to fight an Al-Ittihad Ahli side that would be buoyed by tens of thousands of their loyal fans set to fill up the Al Hamadaniyeh Stadium in Aleppo.

It's an advantage that Nadim Issa and the team are keen on maximizing. They're the first Syrian team to reach the FIBA WASL playoffs, and now they're looking to become the first Syrian team to reach the West Asia League Semis. That starts by sending the series to a Game 3.

Al Wahda versus Sagesse

March 14, 2024
Al Fayhaa Stadium, Damascus, Syria
22:00 local time (GMT+3)

Will we finally see one of Lebanese basketball's biggest rivalries hit FIBA WASL? That's become possible should Sagesse eliminate Al Wahda on Thursday night in Damascus, Syria.

Winner of this series will take on the defending West Asia League champions Al Riyadi, and the Green Castle only fueled anticipation of a heavyweight meeting taking place in the Semis following their 89-75 victory in Game 1 behind the 32 points of Ahmad Ibrahim.

But not to be counted out, of course, are Al Wahda, a team that's hoping to reach the next round and forge a rematch with the same team that swept them in the Group Phase, definitely out for some payback after being blown out in both of their meetings.

That bid, though, starts in an all-important Game 2, where the team of Coach Marwan Khalil are hoping to get major boost from their loyal fans set to troop to the Al Fayhaa Stadium.

FIBA