Al Ahli Youth became champions of the men's basketball league for the 16th time in their history after defeating Al Nasr with a score of 88-77 in the second leg of the final, held on Tuesday at Rashid bin Hamdan Hall in Al Nasr Club. This confirmed their dominance after their 81-78 victory in the first leg last week. Al Ahli Youth dominated the course of the match for most of its duration, finishing the first half with an 11-point lead (44-33). Despite Al Nasr's attempts to close the gap in the second half and reducing it to 5 points (77-72), Al Ahli Youth widened the gap and secured the victory. Thus, Al Ahli Youth increased their title count to two this season, after previously being crowned as the UAE Cup Federation champions—the first tournament of the season, which they also won against Al Nasr. Following the match, Abdulatif Naser Al Fardan, President of the UAE Basketball Federation, in the presence of Major General (Retired) Ismail Abdullah Al Qarqawi, Honorary President of the Federation, and several Federation and Al Ahli Youth officials, crowned the champions with the league shield and gold medals. Dr. Majid Sultan, Executive Director of the Sports Sector at Al Ahli Youth, stated that this title reflects the technical and administrative stability the club is experiencing. He noted that the team succeeded in achieving this accomplishment thanks to the teamwork and team spirit, which helped them reach this record number of titles. He explained that the stability since the beginning of the season, both at the technical and administrative levels and among the players, contributed to achieving harmony and working as one big family, which distinguished the team from its competitors. He confirmed that the club's ambitions extend to competing strongly in next season's external competitions. In turn, Serbian coach Miodrag Perisic of Al Ahli Youth said the title was well-deserved as the team topped different stages of the season. He pointed out that the competition was strong with distinguished teams like Al Nasr, Sharjah, and Al Batayh. He clarified that the team was affected by the pressure in the first leg, but appeared in a better shape in the final match thanks to good preparation and the players' freedom from that pressure, which reflected on their performance and decided the confrontation. In his turn, international player Kays Omar, the center of Al Ahli Youth, expressed his joy at the coronation, confirming that the title was the result of the great efforts and sacrifices of everyone throughout the season. He pointed out that the team aspires to continue competing for the rest of the season's titles, in addition to preparing for Asian competitions, confirming that this achievement represents a motivation to achieve more success in the upcoming phase.
