Kuwait and Al-Qurain to decide qualification against Kazma and Qadsia in 'Basketball'

Kuwait and Al-Qurain are aiming to secure their spots in the final when they face Kazma and Al-Qadisiya today in the second round of the Golden Square playoffs of the basketball league, which resumed from last season. Al-Qurain will play Al-Qadisiya at 5:15 p.m., followed by the match between Kuwait and Kazma at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be held at the Union Hall in the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Sports Complex. The semi-finals will be played in a best-of-three series, with the winner of two matches advancing to the final.

The first round saw a hard-fought victory for Al-Qurain over Al-Qadisiya, 86-83, while Kuwait (the Whites) had no difficulty in securing a comprehensive win over Kazma, 108-81.

In the first match, Kuwait players shone and established control from the first quarter, which was closely contested as the Orange team, led by captain Ahmed Al-Baloushi and Syrian-American Amir Hinton, tried to keep pace with their opponents. Kuwait ended the quarter ahead, 28-23. Kuwait gradually increased its dominance and extended its lead thanks to a strong roster of evenly matched players. Young player Adam Asad excelled alongside the standout performances of Turki Hamoud and Omar Jawhar, as Kuwait led 61-51 at the end of the second quarter. Kuwait maintained its advantage in the third quarter, with notable performances from its American imports Devon Grant and Christian Brown, extending the lead to 16 points, 83-67, by the end of the period. Kuwait translated its dominance in the final quarter, closing out the game comfortably with a 108-81 victory.

Brown led Kuwait with 24 points, followed by his compatriot Grant with 21 points. Abdulaziz Mohamed scored 13 points, and Adam Asad added 11. For Kazma, Hinton was the top scorer with 29 points, while American Deondre Perry and Croatian Ivan Pova each contributed 14 points.

In the second match, the competition between Al-Qadisiya and Al-Qurain was intense, with the score remaining close until the final moments, which Al-Qurain secured in their favor. Al-Qadisiya started strongly in the first quarter, ending it ahead 26-16. However, Al-Qurain responded powerfully in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to one point, 38-37, at halftime. The third quarter saw heightened competition, with Al-Qurain clearly taking control and ending the period ahead, 69-54. Al-Qurain maintained its superiority in the final quarter despite Al-Qadisiya’s efforts to mount a comeback, securing a well-deserved 86-83 victory.

American Robinson Love led Al-Qurain with 18 points, followed by Abdul Latif Ghanem with 16 points and Mohammed Ashkanani with 15 points. For Al-Qadisiya, Abdulmohsin Al-Moussawi was the top scorer, while Frenchman Ivan Ganabamou contributed 18 points and American Michel Marsh added 12 points.