DUBAI, 18th May 2017: Thailand and Great Britain entered the final of the 9thFazza Wheelchair Basketball International Championship – Dubai 2017 held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, when they defeated UAE and Japan respectively in the semi-finals at the Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum indoor hall at Al Ahli Club, Dubai on Wednesday 17th May.
Hosts UAE went down fighting to Thailand 67-42 in the first semi-final while Great Britain overcame Japan 63-39 in the second semi-final on the fourth day of competition.
The seven-team competition is being organized and supervised by the Dubai Club for People of Determination with the support of their strategic partners Dubai Sports Council, IWBF (International Wheelchair Basketball Federation), the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW) and the UAE Paralympic Committee.
The participating countries are South Africa, Japan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Great Britain and hosts UAE.
UAE will face Japan in the bronze medal match at 5.00 p.m on Thursday 18thMay while Britain will take on Thailand in the final at 7.30 p.m. The medal ceremony is scheduled to take place at 9.30 p.m.
Spirited
UAE wheelchair basketball star Mohammed Al Zarooni fancies their chances against Japan after giving a spirited performance against the more fancied Thailand.
“It all depends on how our mental and physical state is against Japan. Today we played good basketball. If our mind is ready to play we can do something. I won’t say 50-50 because Japan is well prepared physically, mentally and have lot of tournament experience,” said the UAE captain after giving another standout performance against Thailand.
A member of team when UAE won the Fazza Fazza Wheelchair Basketball International Championship – Dubai in 2009 and 2010, Al Zarooni recalls having upset Japan about five years in the same tournament.
Mohammed Al Zarooni says the outcome could depend on how Japan recovers after the semifinal against Team GB who are also heading for the World Under 23 Wheelchair Basketball Championship to be held in Toronto, Canada next month.
“You have to believe in your ability, your team. In basketball players can get exhausted playing four games in a row. Today Japan has a tough game against UK. They will be more exhausted than us but they have a good bench for rotation,” said Al Zarooni who led UAE to the West Asia championship bronze medal title in February.
“We usually win when we 38% of our shots in. If we play hard defence and if we are physically in good shape we could do it. Japan don’t have tall players and we have to get very good rebounds if they miss shots. But they are very good at man-to-man marking. If we can break through their as we did today (against Thailand) we have a chance,” said Al Zarooni, 36, who did wheelchair racing and archery before focusing on basketball for the last 17 years.
Promising
UAE began promising against Thailand trailing by just two points 12-10 in the first period and were leading 15-14 at one stage. However, the entry of the tournament’s leading scorer Aekkasit Jumjarean dashed UAE’s hopes.
Jumjarean hardly missed a shot racking up 17 points to give Thailand a 32-19 cushion at half-time. UAE played catch up in the second half with Thailand having the luxury of resting Jumjarean in the third period though barely edging them out 17-14.
UAE went on the offensive with Ibrahim Al Hammadi who top scored with 14 points leading the way along with Habib Al Baloshi and skipper Al Zarooni. Thailand stayed ahead through Kwanchai Pimkorn and Visut Suk-on.
Jumjarean returned in the final period sinking baskets with regular frequency to contribute 31 points in Thailand’s win and increase his tally to 91 in four matches as the tournament’s leading scorer.
“I’m proud to be the top scorer of the tournament for the second time. We finished second and fourth in our previous two attempts in Dubai. This time we are confident of becoming champions,” said the Thailand captain who has played in the UAE’s domestic league.
“I train very hard, It’s very important to train with discipline. I also study my performances every time by watching the video to make improvements,” said Jumjarean, 36, who has been playing wheelchair basketball for nearly two decades.
Team GB had to pull all stops to reign over Japan who held the edge in the first period 14-10 and trailed by just four points at half time 28-24.
Koki Maruyama (20), the second highest leading points scorer in the tournament with 62 points from four matches, kept Japan in the hunt until the third period in which Britain held a slight 10-7 edge.
The experienced Ben Fox top scored for Team GB with 16 points while Lee Fryer (11), Billy Bridge and skipper Greg Warburton were also on target.
However, Jon Dunn turned the tide for Britain by shooting 10 points in the final period giving them a clear 25-8 advantage and seal their spot in the final of the 9th Fazza Wheelchair Basketball International Championship – Dubai 2017.