A player from the Kuwait Club maintained control of the ball during the game.

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 21: Kuwait Club secured a convincing 111-86 victory over Sharjah in the penultimate round of Group B in the West Asia Super League for the Gulf region, “Wasl.” In the same group, Al-Ahly Saudi defeated Al-Arabi Qatar 91-79.

With these results, Al-Ahly Saudi claimed direct qualification to the Gulf final, finishing first with 10 points from 4 wins and 2 losses, edging out Kuwait, who also ended with 10 points but second due to scoring differential. Al-Arabi finished third, while Sharjah was eliminated in fourth place.

Kuwait Club will now face Al-Muharraq of Bahrain, the third-placed team from Group A, in a best-of-three playoff series. The winner will advance to the semifinals to take on Al-Ittihad Saudi. Meanwhile, Al-Arabi will meet Shabab Al-Ahli of the UAE under the same playoff system, with the winner set to face Al-Ahly Saudi.

Kuwait Club's coach, Serbian Dushan Stojicov, commented: "Our aim was direct qualification, but finishing first in the group only offers a slight advantage. Our focus remains on reaching the final and competing for the championship."

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff