Doha: Al Arabi, the defending champions, climbed to the top of the General Basketball League standings after defeating Al Shamal 91-83 in their match Thursday at Al Gharafa Hall, as part of the second round of the tournament. The scores for the four quarters were 22-21, 29-18, 18-16, and 22-28. According to Qatar News Agency, with this victory, Al Arabi raised their points tally to 20 from 11 matches, taking the lead by one point over Al Rayyan, which occupies second place with 19 points from 10 matches. Al Shamal's points total reached 16 from 11 matches. In another match, Al Wakrah defeated Al Gharafa 98-85. The four quarters of the match ended with scores of 23-26, 19-19, 29-13, and 27-27. With this victory, Al Wakrah raised its points tally to 17 from 11 matches, tying with Al Sadd for fifth place. Al Gharafa reached 13 points from 11 matches, tied with Qatar SC, placing them eighth.