DUBAI //Omar Saleh believes Al Mawakeb School could become the Dubai basketball champions after starting their season with a convincing win. The 17 year old and his teammates coasted to a 34-20 victory over Jumeirah College at Al Wasl Sports Complex on Saturday in the opening game of the first annual Dubai High School Basketball Championship. "We have a great team this year so why couldn't we win the championship," Saleh asked. "We work hard and train almost every day, so we are a close group. We know each other's games really well so that's why I think we are in for a good season." Mahmoud Jaber, the Jumeirah College captain, acknowledged his side passed up too many chances. "We are disappointed," Jaber said. "We missed a lot of shots and had they gone in we would have given them a better game. Our game is based on pace, but we took a long time to get going." In the second game of the day, International School of Choueifat Dubai thrashed Dubai International School 76-17. The competition will feature 10 schools in a two group round-robin format, culminating in a final four championship decider on January 20-21. Follow <strong>The National Sport </strong> on & Neil Cameron on