Ball Above All, the top recreational basketball league in the UAE, began its new season with the first round of games in the Elite League this past week.

A thriller took place in the Dolphins’ 73-72 narrow win over Dubai Heat, which went down to the final seconds.

After Dolphins led most of the game and pushed their lead to 16 points by the end of the third quarter, Dubai Heat fought back valiantly in the fourth and took the lead with 40 seconds left.

Karim Hachani had other plans, however, and nailed a 3-pointer to put Dolphins back ahead and secure the win. Lloyd Edjuto was the standout player, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal.

Spartans, meanwhile, defeated Vipers 69-61, handing the 3-peat champions a rare loss.

Spartans came out strong in the first quarter and kept the league throughout the contest, with Max Klein shining brightest with 21 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.

The clash between Binary Financial and Dubai Flight wasn’t nearly as close as the former earned a convincing 92-48 blowout victory.

At the centre of the dominant performance was Bilal Abdullah, who dropped 36 points to go with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Ball Above All continues to deliver high quality leagues in Dubai, offering multiple divisions, pick-up games and a recently-launched Academy for all ages during Ramadan.

Follow Ball Above All on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Register to play on www.BallAboveAll.ae.