Seeb edge Al Bashayer to lift Credit Oman Cup

MUSCAT, OCT 27

Seeb claimed the men's Credit Oman Basketball Cup with a 66-62 victory over Al Bashayer at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher on Monday, holding their nerve in a closely contested finish to secure the season-opening trophy.

Masirah were also presented with the women's trophy after beating Salalah 55-50 on Sunday. The ceremony was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Nawaf bin Barghash al Said, Chairman of Oman Club, alongside Oman Basketball Association chairman Eng Khalfan bin Saleh al Naabi. Recently retired international referee Dr Issam al Siyabi was honoured for his contribution to the game.

Early three-pointers from Marquez Samir and William Ander gave Seeb a strong start, but Al Bashayer responded through Vante Rose and Hadeed Bait Bakhit to lead 19-17 after the opening quarter.

Rose, Saeed al Saadi and Momath Seck helped Al Bashayer extend their advantage to 26-17 in the second period. Rasheed al Zahaibi helped Seeb recover before Abdulrahman al Shueibi put them 29-28 ahead. Seeb reached half-time leading 36-34.

Al Bashayer regained the initiative after the interval, moving ahead following ties at 38-38 and 41-41, and closed the third quarter with a 50-47 advantage.

Samir scored six points early in the final period to put Seeb 53-50 ahead, but Rose helped Al Bashayer reclaim the lead at 54-53. The teams were level again at 58-58 before Seeb produced the stronger finish to secure victory.

Seeb coach Moslem Hadded expressed delight at winning his first trophy with the club. He said small details had decided a contest between evenly matched teams, praising the quality of their local and overseas players and looking ahead to further improvement.

Masirah were also presented with the women's trophy after beating Salalah 55-50 on Sunday. — Moosa al Balushi

INTENSE GAME

Ander described an intense game in which the referees allowed both teams to play, praising Seeb's collective performance. He played down suggestions of a comeback, noting that Seeb had never been 20 points behind. Both sides had their scoring runs, he said, but Seeb's came when it mattered. His next target was to keep winning.

Al Bashayer's Hadeed congratulated Seeb and praised his teammates' efforts, while expressing concern about some refereeing decisions. He said his side accepted defeat but urged the association to introduce the Instant Replay System (IRS) so officials could review key incidents.

Al Naabi praised the final's technical standard and close finish, describing the competition as an encouraging start to the season. He highlighted the ongoing under-17 competition, forthcoming youth fixtures and the start of the men's league on Friday.

He also welcomed new clubs into the under-17 competition, noting that they had benefited from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth's athlete development centres, which he described as important to the sport's future.

Responding to the replay concerns, Al Naabi said the matter fell within the referees' committee's remit. He noted that officials had attended a course covering recent rule changes and expressed hope that feedback would help improve future competitions.