Al Arabi’s Todd Edward O’Brien (right) in action against Qatar SC’s Malcolm Anthony White (centre) during the Qatar Men’s Basketball League match at Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. O’Brien scored 34 points in Arabi’s 69-56 win. PICTURE: Jayan Orma

By Sports Reporter/Doha


Todd Edward O’Brien led Al Arabi to a close victory over Qatar Sports Club in the Qatar Men’s Basketball League at Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday.
O’Brien amassed 34 points in his team’s 69-56 win over Qatar SC, and helped maintained Arabi’s hold on the game, which the eventual winners led for a total of little under 39 minutes.
Qatar SC got on the scoreboard first but were quickly overhauled by Arabi, who kept extending their lead right till the final five minutes. In the closing moments of the game, Qatar SC scored 12 points to Arabi’s two, but it wasn’t enough to snatch a victory.
O’Brien had 14 two-pointers and six free throws to his name besides 15 rebounds.
The other Arabi player to get into double figures was Temi Narcellius Soyebo with 13 points.
For Qatar SC, Malcolm Anthony White was the leading scorer with 21 points, while Abdirahman Ibrahim Giama added 11.
White, like O’Brien, was particurly impressive in the rebounds department notching up 15 of them, besides scoring eight two-pointers and five free throws.
In the other match of the day, a high-scoring affair, Al Wakrah, buoyed by a 30-point effort by Calvin Earl Cage Jr, beat Al Khor 100-87.
Khor were the first team off the mark even taking a 4-0 lead before Wakrah closed down the gap with the scores at 9-10 in favour of Khor after the first five minutes.
As the first quarter came to a close, Wakrah, with scoring efforts of Cage Jr, Adamu Saaka, Emir Mujkic and Mame Souleye Ndour, took a massive leap with the scoreboard reading 24-17.
In the last quarter of the game, Wakrah had surged to a mammoth 26-point lead over their opponents at 98-72. A 13-point scoring run by Khor after that point did close down the gap to 85-98 but the damage had already been done by then.
Cage Jr had seven two-pointers, five three-pointers and free throw to show for for his points haul, while Mujkic, who scored 22 points, was impressive in the rebounds department too with 15 of those. Saaka pitched in with 26, while Ndour had 13 to his name.
For Khor, Patrick Ronald Rembert was the leading scorer with 26 points. Charles Abouo added 21 while Mustafa Lasheen was the other player in double figures with 18 points.
Today, Al Shamal face Al Ahli in the first match at 5:15pm, while Al Sadd will take on El Jaish at 7:15pm.