Kuwait Club & Al Qadisiya in driver’s seats as Al-Arabi and Kazma aim to even series
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KUWAIT CITY, April 16: Kuwait Club and Al-Qadisiya aim to secure their spots in the Basketball League final as they face off against Al-Arabi and Kazma in the playoffs’ second round at Al-Ittihad Hall in the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Indoor Hall Complex.
Al-Qadisiya will play against Kazma at 5:30 PM, followed by Kuwait’s match against Al-Arabi at 7:30 PM. The semi-finals employ a playoff system of three games, with the winners of two advancing to the final, which will follow the same format but with five games.
In the previous round, Kuwait Club narrowly defeated Al-Arabi 104-100, while Al-Qadisiya secured a hard-fought victory over Kazma with a score of 85-81 on the same day.
Despite Kuwait Club being considered the frontrunner for the title and the closest to qualification, Al-Arabi’s strong performance in the last match suggests today’s game could go either way if it maintains its spirit and determination. While Kuwait Club boasts a history of success, Al-Arabi has shown resilience in recent matches, and today it targets a positive result to extend the series to a third confrontation.
Meanwhile, Al-Qadisiya, led by American coach Stebbing, aims to assert its dominance over Kazma and secure a final berth without needing a third match. Having defeated Kazma in all encounters this season, Al-Qadisiya enters the game as a favorite. However, Kazma, under the guidance of Serbian coach Bojan Lazic, has had mixed performances this season despite reaching the league semi-finals and the West Asian League Championship semi-finals.
The focus on both fronts seems to have distracted Kazma’s team, who will strive today to salvage its chances and keep title hopes alive.
In other news, the Kuwait under-18 basketball team secured a 72-66 victory over Iraq in the second friendly match held at Al-Ittihad Hall. This victory follows a similar win in the first friendly match with a score of 82-77, as part of the team’s preparations for the Gulf Cup qualifying tournament for the Asian Cup finals hosted by Kuwait from July 29 to August 4.
Additionally, the under-15 junior team bounced back from its previous defeat to Iraq with a narrow 76-75 victory in the second friendly match at Al-Ittihad Hall. The team is gearing up for the Gulf Championship in Doha from August 15 to 19, aiming to improve upon their previous performance after losing the first friendly match 43-89.
Hassan Musa
Al-Seyassah/ Arab Times Staff
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