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Ayeni Olusegun
Doha
The Al Gharafa Club Indoor Hall court is set for the prestigious Emir Cup Basketball Championship final as Al Arabi take on Al Wakrah on Saturday.
Both the teams have never won the Emir Cup but have experienced the finals. Al Arabi have been to the finals three time and finished as the second best, while Al Wakrah last appeared in the final way back in the 2000-01 season.
Al Arabi thumped Al Shamal in the semi-final as Nicholas Stover put on a show scoring 33 points and currently leads the competition with 30.5 points per game. The Dream team also enjoyed a great season in the QBF League, emerging champions at the end of a grueling season.
Head coach, Hatem Mamlouk said his team will build on their success in the League for the final."We have had a good run in the competition so far and we hope to win the Emir Cup for the first time in our history.
"We have the right attitude and the right players so we are prepared for this match."
Speaking on Al Wakrah, Mamlouk said,"They have been playing well particularly (Erfan Ali) Saeed who had a big game in the semis. But we know what it takes to win a championship."
Meanwhile Al Wakrah had to battle past defending champions Al Gharafa in a grueling match on Wednesday. Ross hit a big shot from beyond the arc to put Wakrah four points ahead before Saeed made clutch free throws.
The Waves' coach Ihab Galal said his team has the abilities to win their first Emir Cup trophy as they take on reigning League champions Al Arabi.
"We have worked hard to be here today and we know what we have to do as the competitor. The club hasn't won this trophy in its history, so we would like to change that," Galal said.
