Japan and Morocco to contest final of Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

Japan and Morocco will contest the final of the Eighth Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball Tournament after winning their respective semis on the penultimate day of action here at Al Ahli Indoor Stadium.

Kazuyuki Kyoya’s squad came through their last-four clash 59-52 after being taken to an additional five minutes of overtime by a galvanized Great Britain, whereas the Moroccans had somewhat less difficulty in accounting for Thailand 67-62.

Those results mean the Brits and the Thais will face off against each other to determine the bronze medalists in the third/fourth place play-off.

Ironically enough as well, there is an undoubted sense of déjà vu and the competition coming full circle about those two forthcoming tussles as they began the pool-phase action way back on day one, when Japan (68-51) and Thailand (54-51) emerged victorious.

“We produced a very big performance against Thailand in that semi-final, which we started and finished strongly, and we’re all really happy now that we’re in the final,” said Morocco captain Abdelhak El Hadaoui.

“We came third in 2015, but we’re looking for first this year. We’ll have to play very well though as Japan are a really strong team.

“We may have lost our opening pool-phase game against them, but a final is an entirely different match altogether. We’re one win away now from gold medals and we’re ready.”

Japan will be equally as keen to come away triumphant overall, with their resilience and resolve presumably having been strengthened after edging their gripping and grueling battle of attrition and endurance with Haj Bhania’s GB side.

“We weren’t very good offensively, especially in terms of our shooting, in the first half and it was a really tough time for us,” Kyoya commented.

“I told my players to use their speed and that they needed to be patient and wait for our opponents to get a little more tired.

“We were a tad lucky in the end, but I’m sure my players will have benefitted from this experience and they’ll gain more confidence and experience from it.

“We’re aiming for the gold medals and my focus now is on how our young players prepare for the final. That’s the most important thing at the moment.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will square off in an all-GCC affair to ascertain the fifth and sixth-placed nations.

The tournament hosts scored the most points in a single game at this competition in their 85-65 triumph over Kuwait, while the Saudis overcame the Philippines by a 20-point margin too (68-48).

Kuwait and the Philippines will thus be looking to avoid the wooden spoon when they meet in the seventh/eighth place play-off in Al Qusais.

This competition is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, and organized and supervised by the Dubai Club for the Disabled (DCD), with the support of strategic partners the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) and in collaboration with the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), the Dubai Sports Council and the UAE Paralympic Committee.

Group A: Japan, Morocco, Philippines, UAE.

Group B: Great Britain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Thailand.

Results:  Group A: Japan 68-51 Morocco, Philippines 58-64 UAE, Japan 67-46 UAE, Morocco 81-44 Philippines, Japan 67-48 Philippines, Morocco 65-34 UAE.

Group B: Great Britain 51-54 Thailand, Kuwait 50-56 Saudi Arabia, Great Britain 68-36 Kuwait, Saudi Arabia 49-61 Thailand, Great Britain 43-28 Saudi Arabia, Kuwait 35-75 Thailand.

Knockout Stages: Kuwait 65-85 UAE, Philippines 48-68 Saudi Arabia, Great Britain 52-59 Japan (OT), Morocco 67-62 Thailand.