Saad Al-Suwaidi
Newly-crowned Qatar Cup champions Al Wakrah stormed into the semi-finals of the 2019-20 Amir Cup with a resounding 90-66 win over Al Gharafa yesterday.
The match was a one-sided affair from the word go as Al Wakrah led for almost 38-and-a-half minutes, hardly giving their rivals any hope of causing an upset.
Al Wakrah were 28-18 ahead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. By the time the match was 30 minutes old, they were comfortably placed with a 22-point advantage (70-48) with the final quarter remaining.
Julius V Coles was the leading scorer for Al Wakrah with 24 points, while Erfan Ali Saeed was also impressive with 19.
Nicholas Stover with 17 points and Abdullah Matalkeh with 13 ensured Al Wakrah were never off the pace. For Al Gharafa, Abdulrahman Sadd scored 29 points, his match-high effort eventually going in vain.
Earlier, Al Sadd beat Qatar Sports Club 72-65 in a play-off to qualify for the quarter-finals.
It was a close encounter, with Al Sadd’s final quarter tally of 21 points proving decisive.
Meanwhile, Al Sadd outshone Qatar SC 72-65 in a play-off to qualify for the quarter-finals. The Wolves now advance to face Al Rayyan on Tuesday for a spot in the Semi-finals.
Matches continue today as Al Khor take on Al Arabi, followed by Al Shamal vs Al Ahli.