Ahlieh Khayrieh School staged an excellent performance to overpower reigning champions Sharjah American School in the third Pepsi Sport Fiesta senior inter-school basketball championship at Global Village .
Fighting till the end, Ahlieh Khayrieh kept their cool despite mounting pressure from Sharjah American School. With a consistent performance throughout the game, Ahlieh Khayrieh put in a strong team effort to deny their opponents any hopes of a late fight back.
First time participants to the Pepsi Sport Fiesta, Ahlieh Khayrieh exceeded all expectations with top quality dribbling and shooting. Sharjah American attempted a final push with a minute remaining, to trail by two points. But a timely basket from Sami Al Hassan gave Ahlieh Khayrieh a well-deserved win.
Ahlieh Khayrieh led 11 – 10 at the end of the first quarter in a super tight final match.
“Considering this is our first time at the Pepsi Sport Fiesta, I am extremely happy with the teams’ performance,” said Ahmed Daglas, Coach at Ahlieh Khayrieh School. “We were nervous when we entered the first two rounds, but the entire Pepsi Sport Fiesta has been a wonderful experience.”
At the end of the tournament, Sharjah American School’s Nnamdi Umeofia was declared the top scorer with 23 points, in the senior category. Ahlieh Khayrieh’s Sami Hassan Al Sahn was voted the best player of the tournament at the senior level and Sharjah American School’s Omar Merza won the title in the junior category
In the junior basketball championships, Saad Bin Abi Waqaas beat Dubai National School 39-25 with Hussein Mubarak scoring maximum points for the winning team. In the girls’ category, Hiba Al Abdul Hadi emerged the top scorer leading Dubai International School, Garhoud to a solid victory against newcomers Safia Alquorashiyah. The score was 14 – 10.
In partnership with the UAE Schools Federation, Pepsi Sport Fiesta basketball and football school tournaments feature 40 teams from various UAE intermediate and high schools.
“Ahlieh Khayrieh took the crowd by surprise with their stunning performance and excellent team effort,” said May El-Labban, Key Accounts Manager, Sales and Marketing, Dubai Refreshments Company (DRC), the sole franchisee and distributor of PepsiCo products in Dubai and Northern Emirates.
El-Labban added: “We saw some great matches this year with some of the very best young talent at the sport fiesta championship. With the overwhelming response we received this year, we hope to take the Sport Fiesta to a higher level next year.”
With ongoing competitions for visitors on the basketball court every weekend, Dubai Refreshments Company (DRC) offers opportunities for all to win additional prizes that include MP3 players, mountain bikes, DVD’s , and gift vouchers from Wild Wadi throughout Pepsi Sport Fiesta. Registration for Pepsi Slam Jam and Power ball championships are open to all participants, at Gate 3, Global Village.
For close to half a century, DRC has supported the initiatives launched by the Government of Dubai that have helped firmly establish the emirate as one of the most exciting destinations in the world.
The Pepsi Sports Fiesta is sponsored by Wild Wadi and ETRI.
