Dubai: Partizan Belgrade of Serbia were second time lucky as they defeated Al Ahli of Egypt to win the Second Dubai International Junior Basketball Championships that concluded at the American University in Dubai (AUD) indoor court on Friday.
The Serbians, who had ended in third place behind champions FC Barcelona and runners-up Sharjah Club at last year’s inaugural edition, held their nerves when it mattered most for a dramatic fight from behind victory.
“We deserved this win. It was tough and it was close but our boys fought hard and well and ultimately we are happy to take this trophy home with us,” Partizan coach Marko Stankovic told Gulf News.
“Maybe we were lucky at times during the final, but our defence played a huge role and they decided in their minds that they could win this title,” he added.
Saeed Hareb, General Secretary, Dubai Sports Council, was joined by Esmail Al Gergawi, President, UAE Basketball Association and Milos Perisic, Head of the Serbian Embassy in the UAE at the presentation of trophies at the end of the final.
The match commenced on a fast note with both teams matching each other till a three-pointer from Omar Tareq on the buzzer gave Al Ahli a narrow 16-15 lead at the end of the opening quarter. In the second period, the Egyptians upped the ante and that saw them clamp down in their defence while going on a scoring spree for a comfortable ten-point cushion at 27-17 midway through the quarter. But a three-pointer from Dusan Tahasuvic with 7.3 seconds remaining saw the Serbians trail 23-29 at half-time.
Midway through the penultimate period, Partizan managed to fight their way right back into the match as they drew level 36-36 and then too the upper hand for a 43-41 lead to set up an engrossing final quarter. Al Ahli made early inroads in the final period with Omar Tareq once drawing level, while a Moamen Mohammad shot from outside the circle handed them the lead once again at 46-45 with 7.07 minutes remaining. Abdul Rahman Boody then got a three-pointer for 49-45 as the Egyptians threatened to break away.
However, the young Serbians came right back to lead 55-51 with less than three minutes left for the final whistle. Once in command, they just stuck to their task in defence to walk away winners for the first time after two attempts.
Earlier, Al Nasr did UAE proud by clinching third place with a rousing 68-54 win against Al Riyadi, Jordan.
RESULTS
Final: Partizan Belgrade, Serbia def. Al Ahli, Egypt 59-55
Third place: Al Nasr, Dubai def. Al Riyadi, Jordan 68-54
AWARDS: Fairplay trophy: Bayern Munich, Germany; Best Emirati Player: Hassan Abdullah (Al Nasr, Dubai); Best Player: Moamen Ahmad (Al Ahli, Egypt); Top Scorer: Shaqr Shoaib (Al Riyadi, Jordan); Best Three-Points Scorer: Marvo Brekic (Partizan Belgrade, Serbia).
