Dubai: Hoops from Lebanon and Barako Bull from the Philippines opened with victories in the Second Al Shabab Basketball Championship late on Friday.

Hoops left it late for a fighting 94-91 win over hosts Al Shabab, while Barako Bull came up with a late surge for an upset of Libya’s Al Ahli 80-75. Their matches took place on the opening day of the week-long competition being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Watched by a near-capacity crowd, both matches reached a heart-stopping conclusion, with Hoops staging a late comeback to win in overtime, while Barako Bull dug deep to gain their first points.

Earlier, Sami Al Qamzi, Chairman of Al Shabab, opened the competition in the presence of tournament director Fares Al Mutawa’a and guest of honour Eman Atta.

The rigours of travel seemed to get to the Lebanese as they dipped in the third quarter after leading in the first two at 29-19 and 47-34. Led by Rashid Al Za’abi’s 22 points, the hosts held a seven-point cushion going into the final quarter.

But with young Hassan Laqes on form with 24 points, Hoops managed to level the scores at 82-82 at the final hooter to force the match into five minutes of overtime.

The vital moments came in the final minute when, with Al Shabab holding a slender 91-90 lead, Ali Al Hatawi made a wrong pass, Abdullah Al Mazroui missed an easy lay-up and Leslie Chauncy slipped as he went in to score, allowing Hoops to steal victory.

“Those three bad decisions cost us dear,” said Al Shabab coach Ahmad Omar, who has been with the Dubai outfit for the past nine years.

Hoops’ Syrian coach Omar Hassino was not surprised with the fight put up by the hosts. “We were expecting this. But I think we had enough experience to see us through safely with a win,” he said.

The second match was equally exciting, as Barako Bull pulled away from the Libyans in the opening quarter, with Michael Singletary securing three triples and Jonas Villanueva, Keith Jensen and Mark Macapagal lending support for a healthy 25-16 lead.

But Al Ahli turned things around in the second quarter, thanks mainly to Craig Winder out-scoring all with 16 points, for a 38-37 lead at half-time. In the penultimate period, the Libyans used their physical advantage to the maximum for a 58-54 lead, with Winder adding eight more to take his personal tally to 24.

But Barako Bull playmaker Emmanuel Montfort played havoc and Singletary hit the scoring button to end with 33 points and guide the PBA side to a confidence-boosting win.

Played under the auspices of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the competition has the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Cars Vehicle Testing Centre and American University in the Emirates (AUE) as its main sponsors.