Kuwait Club player dunks over an opponent.

MANAMA, Feb 10: Kuwait Club booked its place in the West Asia Super League (WASL) semifinals after defeating Bahrain’s Muharraq 78–69 in Manama, in the second leg of the qualification playoff.

The victory followed Kuwait Club’s 107–101 win over Muharraq in the first leg in Kuwait, allowing Al-Abyad to secure semifinal qualification without the need for a third match.

In the semifinals, Kuwait Club will face Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad, who qualified directly from Group A. The series will be played in a best-of-three format starting on April 6, with the first team to win two games advancing to the final.

Under the tournament rules, the two Gulf region finalists will join teams from Central Asia to contest the final rounds. The other semifinal will see Saudi side Al-Ula take on the winner of the playoff between UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli and Qatar’s Al-Arabi.

Kuwait Club earned the win with a disciplined and strong performance in the second game. Despite missing star Hamad Adnan due to personal reasons, the team started aggressively and led 15–13 after the first quarter. Muharraq leveled the score 39–39 by halftime.

In the third quarter, Kuwait Club regained control thanks to the playmaking of American Charlie Moore and the inside dominance of Frenchman Geoffrey Lauvergne, taking a 58–52 lead. The team then sealed the victory with a commanding final quarter to finish 78–69, securing its place in the semifinals.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff