The Throne Returns to Its Owners! Al-Hikma Sweeps Al-Ahli and Crowned Arab Champions After Two Decades

Al-Hikma Beirut was crowned champion of the 38th Arab Clubs Basketball Championship after achieving a well-deserved victory over Syria's Al-Ahli Halabi with a score of 84-75, in the final match hosted at Antoine Choueiri Hall in Ghazir, amidst a large audience.

The green team imposed its dominance from the start, finishing the first quarter ahead 26-16, and the first half with a score of 45-35, before extending the gap to 12 points at the end of the third quarter (67-55), and sealing the confrontation with a nine-point margin.

Al-Hikma started the match strongly, trying to impose its control, and Ali Mazhar stood out, scoring 5 points for him in the first 3 minutes and giving the greens a 10-4 lead. The greens then took control and forced Al-Ittihad Halabi coach Jad El-Hajj to call a "time-out" after 4 minutes and 20 seconds with a difference of 12 (16-4). Al-Hikma's defense forced Al-Ahli players to lose easy balls and rely on long shots that did not help, reaching a 15-point difference at 24-9, before the first quarter ended in favor of the Ashrafieh sons with a 10-point difference at 26-16.

Al-Ahli players overcame the initial "fear" and pressure from Al-Hikma's fans at the beginning of the second quarter, quickly reducing the difference to 4 points within less than 3 minutes at 26-22. The greens then regained their breath and reached the middle of the second quarter with a 7-point difference at 35-28. Al-Hikma's experience appeared in dealing with difficult situations in the second half, succeeding in ending the second quarter tied 19-19, thus reaching the halftime break with a 10-point difference at 45-35.

The first half of the third quarter was ideal for Al-Hikma, especially on the defensive side, as the difference rose to 14 points at 56-42 in favor of the greens. The situation continued in the same manner in the second half of this quarter, as the Halabians faced great difficulty in overcoming the greens, who finished the third quarter with a 12-point difference at 67-55.

Al-Hikma's defense held firm, preventing Al-Ahli players from scoring any point throughout 3 minutes and 40 seconds from the start of the last quarter. Four minutes before the end, the difference was 14 for Al-Hikma at 77-63, before the match ended with a 9-point difference at 84-75.

The top scorers of the match were Washington for Al-Hikma with 23 points, and Harrison for Al-Ahli with 19 points.

With this achievement, Al-Hikma reclaimed the Arab throne for the third time in its history, after winning the title in 1998 and 1999, adding a new page to its rich record in Lebanese and Arab basketball.

On the other hand, Qatar's Al-Arabi team secured third place in the tournament after Central Club apologized from playing the match to determine 3rd and 4th places due to numerous injuries in its ranks, especially with the start of its matches in the opening of the Lebanese championship next Saturday.