JEDDAH, 5 March 2005 — The finale could not have been better scripted: two teams both with proud basketball tradition and 22 national championships between them locked in battle to decide who reigns supreme in the Kingdom.
Tied on 30 points before yesterday’s final match, Al-Ittihad hammered out a convincing 87-70 victory over Ohod yesterday to capture the title in the Saudi Basketball Tournament before an overflow crowd at the basketball hall near Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
The triumph in the 10-team double round robin tournament that awards two points for victory gave Ittihad their eighth national title although Ohod remains the winningest ballclub with 15 championships under their belt.
The final standings had Ittihad on top with 32 points, winning 16 and losing two in 18 games while Ohod finished with 30 on 15-3 win-loss card.
The defeat completed a bad weekend for Ohod as they were also beaten 69-63 by Al-Ahli Thursday, while Ittihad downed Ansar 85-81 to pave the way for yesterday’s all-important match.
Playing smart basketball all evening, Ittihad never gave Ohod any chance in the one-sided contest.
Ittihad stars Ali Al-Mughrabi and Adel Al-Juhani blended beautifully with American imports Cham Gad and Stephens Howard.
The quartet were chiefly responsible for the total control by Ittihad. The well-beaten Ohod side came no closer than seven points in the game.
Prince Talal ibn Bader, president of the Saudi and Arab Basketball Federation, presented the championship trophy to Ittihad during the awards ceremony after the match.
Ittihad club President Mansour Al-Balawi congratulated the players and coaching staff for the victory and promised them financial rewards. Ittihad fans had an impromptu celebration at the club quarters on Al-Sahafa Street here.
