Kuwait Basket Faces Al-Hikma in Semi-Finals Tomorrow

Kuwait Club will face a tough test against Lebanese side Al-Hakam tomorrow (Saturday) in the semi-finals of the West Asia Basketball Federation (WAAB) “Wasel” Championship, held in the Lebanese capital Beirut, which concludes the day after tomorrow (Sunday). Meanwhile, the match between Saudi club Al-Adalah and Iranian side Gorgan, played late yesterday evening, will determine the second opponent for the Lebanese club in the other semi-final.

Kuwait Club finished second in Group A with five points, behind Al-Riyadi, who topped the group with six points. The Indian Railways club came third, while the Saudi Federation finished fourth and last.

Kuwait secured their place in the semi-finals for the third time in the tournament’s history, after a hard-fought 106-101 victory over Indian Railways in the final group-stage match the day before yesterday. That same round saw Al-Riyadi defeat the Saudi Federation 87-76.

Despite leading at the end of each quarter (27-17, 56-38, 80-70, and 106-101), Kuwait’s win over the Indian club was far from easy. Indian Railways mounted a strong comeback, narrowing the deficit to just two points (96-94) with four minutes remaining. However, outstanding performances by American import Day Day Grant allowed Kuwait to maintain their lead and secure a well-deserved victory that sent them to the semi-finals.

Grant led the scoring for Kuwait with 36 points, while his compatriot Christian Brown contributed 35 points. Mohammed Adnan and another American, Shinano Onuaku, each added 10 points.

On his part, Kuwait’s Serbian coach, Dusan Stojkovic, displayed mixed emotions. He expressed happiness at reaching the semi-finals, which marks the first time he has guided a team to this stage, but also voiced dissatisfaction with his team’s performance in the match against the Indian club.