Muharraq follow Sagesse, Kazma as Gulf League Semis cast all set

MANAMA (Bahrain) - Muharraq finished off Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai, 89-82, to complete the FIBA WASL-Gulf League Season 2 Semi-Finals picture, Monday night at the BBA Arena.

Tyler Wilkerson and Bader Malabes helped set up the early fourth-quarter assault, before Ricky Ledo and the others came through for the strong finish as the home team eventually completed the comeback from a 0-1 deficit in the best-of-3 series to reach the next round.

Soon, they will meet reigning FIBA WASL champions Manama in the best-of-3 Semis beginning next week as another pair of domestic foes bring their rivalry to the league.

The other Gulf League Semis bracket will see Kuwaiti sides Kazma and defending sub-zone champions Kuwait Club duke it out. The Beirut derby, meanwhile, is set in the West Asia Semis featuring defending sub-zone titlists Al Riyadi and league newcomers Sagesse.

Game heroes: Ledo showed the way for Muharraq with game-highs of 31 points and 13 rebounds, in the process earning STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors.

Malabes went 4-of-7 from deep and finished with 21 points, while Wilkerson came through with his own double-double of 20 and 10 as the troika bannered the attack that ultimately crushed Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai's hopes of returning to the Gulf Semis.

Turning point: Muharraq trailed by a point early in the fourth but Ali Mohamed drilled a jumper to put themselves back up, and that proved to be the spark they needed to get going.

Ledo found a cutting Ali Hasan for an unmolested layup, before Wilkerson nailed a tripl off a Mohamed dime to string together a run toward a 71-65 lead with 7:16 remaining.

It would be all Muharraq since then. Malabes helped out the trio in sustaining their form and soon, their lead rose to as high as 12 points, 86-74, with 3:03 left to play, eventually finishing off a side that's been hounded by injuries for most of the season.

Stats don't lie: Game 3 continued a trend of sorts wherein at least three players scored 20 points or more for Muharraq. Game 2 saw Malabes (31), Ledo (23), Husain Salman (25) and Mohamed Juma (21) do so, combining for 100 points to equalize the series.

They said: "It was all about our defense. I told the guys especially at the start of the fourth quarter that it's gonna be your call right now, it's how far you're going to put effort on defense so we're gonna get closer to the win. That reflected on the court and I believe that the secret for tonight was good defense." -Saleh Al Haddad, Head Coach, Muharraq

"The Semis, we'll play against our rivals in the local league, Manama. It will be a tough game, but we will prepare for it. Hopefully, we will give them a good fight." - Bader Malabes, Muharraq

"Every season's gonna be different. You're not gonna have the same players, the same coaches, it's never gonna be the same from year to year. Our expectation is always gonna be the same. It's gonna be to try to make it. To try to get to where we want to go. But the reality is, when you get to this stage, it's about who's healthy and who's not. It doesn't matter if it's Europe, if it's Asia, if it's the Middle East, or if it's the NBA. It's about who's healthy and who's not. Right now we're not. And clearly, we fell short." - Nick Minnerath, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai

FIBA