Al Rayyan once again proved they are the top-most basketball team in the country when they beat Al Gharafa 83-71 to win the Qatar Cup yesterday.
At the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall, Al Rayyan’s supremacy was never in doubt as they overcame a first quarter setback to eventually win the title with some degree of comfort.
It was the second title of the season for Al Rayyan, who earlier this month had won the Qatar Basketball League in convincing fashion.
“We are having a great season thanks to the dedication and the determination of the team. We are enjoying ourselves and we hope to bag a treble when the prestigious Emir Cup begins,” Al Rayyan skipper Yaseen Ismail Musa said.
Musa, a veteran of many a club and national campaign, played for only 17.38 minutes yesterday scoring just three points but his very presence on the court was a tremendous encouragement to some of the younger charges in the team.
“We gelled as a team. Everyone contributed to the team’s success. It would be unfair to single out any one player,” the veteran added.
Salem Abdullah and Dominic Davon were the key to Al Rayyan’s success yesterday as they did the bulk of the scoring for the team.
While Abdullah top scored with 25, Davon was not too far behind on 22, while Alban Ngombo chipped in with 14.
“It felt great to contribute significantly to the team’s success,” said Abdullah. “We knew Al Gharafa were a  dangerous side and when we trailed 25-18 after the first session we raised our level to wrest back the advantage,” he added.
A remarkable feature of Abdullah’s heroics yesterday was the fact that he score 21 of his 25 points from the three-point mark, a strategy that left the Al Gharafa defence rattled.
Davon, one of the stalwarts for Al Rayyan this season, managed a trio of three-pointers in his 22.
After trailing 25-18, Al Rayyan decided enough was enough and produced 22 points in the second quarter to move ahead 43-34.
By the time the third quarter ended they were a 62-45 ahead leaving Al Gharafa completed deflated.
Mohamed Saad scored 25 points for Al Gharafa, while Timotheus Massey had 23 and Dwayne Galloway 12.
Al Gharafa’s bench contributed 14 points, while Gharafa managed only one in this department. Al Gharafa coach Koussay Hatem was disappointed with the loss but congratulated the winners.
“It is always difficult to play Al Rayyan but we tried hard. Now we hope to go one better in the Emir Cup,” he said.
Qatar Basketball Federation President Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani presented the trophy to the winners.