Nizwa edge Salalah in the Oman Basketball League

MUSCAT: Nizwa Club secured a convincing 73–48 victory over Salalah Club in the preliminary round of the Oman General Basketball League for the 2025–2026 sports season. With this win, Nizwa raised its tally to 6 points, while Salalah remained on 4 points. Both teams qualified for the final rounds alongside Al Seeb and Al Bashayer, in a match held at Al Amal Club Hall.
The game was competitive and entertaining, with both teams sharing periods of control. Nizwa dominated the first and second quarters by a large margin. In the third quarter, Salalah became more active and lost by a narrow margin, while they managed to win the fourth quarter. However, the point difference built in the first, second, and third quarters enabled Nizwa to secure the final result, despite Salalah’s improved offensive performance.

Several Nizwa players stood out in scoring, led by professional player Kingsley, along with Saeed Ghassan and Basel al Subhi. For Salalah, the leading scorers were Mishal Kafkaf, Qaisar al Balushi, and Faisal Bait Abdulnabi.
Nizwa began the match aggressively and imposed their style of play through high attacking intensity and strong defence, which neutralised most of Salalah’s attacks and disrupted their offensive rhythm. Nizwa players capitalised on this dominance to score consistently and extend the lead, ending the first quarter ahead 28–9.

In the second quarter, Nizwa maintained its offensive momentum, while its defence continued to block attacks and launch quick counterattacks, varying its offensive options. Salalah managed to score only 9 points, while Nizwa added 18 points, taking a 46–18 lead at halftime.
The third quarter saw a slight change in momentum, with Salalah players showing improved activity and a better offensive display compared to the first half, managing to reduce the gap relatively. However, Nizwa’s repeated responses saw them score 15 points against Salalah’s 13, ending the third quarter with Nizwa leading 62–31.

In the fourth quarter, Salalah showed a clear improvement both offensively and defensively, scoring 17 points, while Nizwa scored 14. Despite this, the large advantage Nizwa had built in the first and second quarters allowed them to seal the match with a 73–48 victory.
The match was officiated by international referee Rashid al Mushaifri as first referee, international referee Thani al Khalasi as second referee, and international referee Wafaa al Samri as third referee. At the scorers’ table were Maryam al Zadjali, Al Baraa al Hashmi, and Hafidh Awlad Ahmed.