Al-Qadsia player fires the ball into the hoop.

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 29: Al-Qadsia took a major step toward securing a place in the basketball league’s semifinals after recording a convincing 103–92 victory over Al-Qurain in the ninth round of the competition. The round also featured Al-Nasr’s 93–83 win against Al-Sahel.

The victory lifted Al-Qadsia ‘s tally to 16 points, placing them temporarily at the top of the standings, while Al-Qurain remained on 14 points.

Al-Qadsia avenged its earlier defeat to Al-Qurain, who had beaten it 93–85 in the first round. The encounter was closely contested early on, with both teams trading baskets in an intense opening quarter that ended 21–19 in favor of the “Yellow.”

The turning point came in the second quarter, as Al-Qadsia asserted control through the outstanding performance of American scorer Jamaro Brown, who finished the game with 40 points, supported by fellow American DeQuan Jones. Its efforts helped extend the lead to 13 points by halftime (55–42).

Al-Qadsia maintained its dominance in the third quarter, despite repeated attempts by Al-Qurain to close the gap, stretching the margin to 83–69.

It completed the job in the final quarter, comfortably closing out the contest with a deserved 103–92 win.

In the day’s other match, Al-Nasr climbed to sixth place with 12 points after defeating Al-Sahel 93–83, while Al-Sahel stayed seventh on 10 points.

Abdulrahman Al-Jumaa led Al-Nasr with 17 points as his team held the advantage throughout the game, leading 25–20 after the first quarter, 54–45 at halftime, and 77–66 after three quarters before sealing the victory.

The league is played in a three-phase round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals, where they compete in a best-of-three playoff series.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff