Superleague Round 18: Petrochimi defeat Mahram in the closest game of the week

There was no lack of excitement in the last round games. The round ended with derby games and games ending by tiny margin. Here is the last round review presented by ESL.

The most exciting game of round 18 in the Superleague took place in Tehran. This derby game ended with only three-point home defeat of 3rd ranked Mahram (15-5) to second ranked Petrochimi (17-3) 64-61 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Mahram. Petrochimi forced 19 Mahram turnovers. 26 personal fouls committed by Mahram helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The former international point guard Sajjad Mashayekhi (180-94) scored 13 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and international Rasoul Mozafari (188-94) chipped in 14 points and 5 assists during the contest. Petrochimi's coach Farzad Kouhian used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was the former international power forward Amirhossein Khandanpour (203-98) with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 10 rebounds. Petrochimi have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 17-3 record behind leader Gorgan. Newly promoted Mahram dropped to the fourth place with five games lost. Petrochimi are looking forward to face Kerman (#11) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Mahram will play against the league's leader Gorgan (#1) and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Important game to mention about took place in Teheran. Seventh ranked Exxon SC (9-10) saved a 3-point victory at home edging 8th ranked Shahrdari BA (8-12) 70-67 in the game for the seventh place. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Shahrdari BA. The former international center Mohsen Moradkhani (213-90) notched a double-double by scoring 18 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the effort and Ehsan Samadi supported him with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Even a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds by American-Guyanese forward Kedar Edwards (196-93, college: UT Martin, agency: Interperformances) did not help to save the game for Shahrdari BA. Shahrdari BA's coach Reza Hengampour rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Newly promoted Exxon SC maintains seventh position with 9-10 record. Shahrdari BA at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the eighth place with 12 games lost. Exxon SC will play against bottom-ranked Army (#14) in Tehran in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Shahrdari BA will play at home against Shahrdari Q. (#13) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Superleague top team - Gorgan (18-2) had no problems winning another game on Thursday. This time they crushed thirteenth ranked Shahrdari Q. (3-17) in Qazvin 92-62. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Shahrdari Q.. The best player for the winners was Aliyar Najafi who scored 16 points and 5 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was Amir Taherkhani who recorded a double-double by scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Gorgan have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 18-2 record. Newly promoted Shahrdari Q. keeps the thirteenth place with 17 games lost. Gorgan will meet at home Mahram (#4) in the next round. Shahrdari Q. will play against Shahrdari BA (#8) in Abbass and hope to secure a win.
A very interesting game took place in Kerman. It ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 10th ranked Toufarghan (7-13) to twelfth ranked Kerman (5-14) 79-76 on Thursday evening. It was a good game for Mehdi Jafari who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 10 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Kerman's coach Mohammad Kasaipour allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Kerman moved-up to eleventh place. Toufarghan at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the tenth position with 13 games lost. Kerman's next round opponent will be league's second-placed Petrochimi in Bandar Imam and they do not belong to the favorites in that game.
Another interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Tehran: Chemidor (#5) and Army (#14). Chemidor (14-5) won against visiting Army (2-19) 86-72. Asghar Kardoust had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds (perfect from the field making all eleven shots !!!) to lead the charge for the winners. Chemidor maintains fifth position with 14-5 record. Army lost eighth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 19 lost games. Chemidor will face Mashad (#6) in Mashhad in the next round. Army will play at home against Exxon SC (#7) and hope to win that game.

In the last two games of round 18 Naft Abadan won against Raad on the opponent's court 72-59. Zob Ahan was outscored by Mashad in a home game 54-83.

Mahram - Petrochimi 61-64

The most exciting game of round 18 in the Superleague took place in Tehran. This derby game ended with only three-point home defeat of 3rd ranked Mahram (15-5) to second ranked Petrochimi (17-3) 64-61 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Mahram. Petrochimi forced 19 Mahram turnovers. 26 personal fouls committed by Mahram helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The former international point guard Sajjad Mashayekhi (180-94) scored 13 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and international Rasoul Mozafari (188-94) chipped in 14 points and 5 assists during the contest. Four Petrochimi players scored in double figures. Petrochimi's coach Farzad Kouhian used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was the former international power forward Amirhossein Khandanpour (203-98) with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 10 rebounds and the former international Arsalan Kazemi (200-90, college: Oregon) scored 7 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Petrochimi have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 17-3 record behind leader Gorgan. Newly promoted Mahram dropped to the fourth place with five games lost. Petrochimi are looking forward to face Kerman (#11) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Mahram will play against the league's leader Gorgan (#1) and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Petrochimi: R.Mozafari 14+1reb+5ast, S.Mashayekhi 13+6reb+3ast, H.Hosseinzadeh 13+3reb+2ast, M.Hassanzadeh 10+6reb, M.Reza Akbari 9+8reb+1ast, M.Mirzaei 3+5reb
Mahram: A.Khandanpour 12+10reb+1ast, V.Mohammadsina 12+2reb+3ast, M.Atashi 11+4reb, J.Matin 8+1reb, A.Kazemi 7+11reb+4ast, F.Aslani 6+3reb+2ast

Raad - Naft Abadan 59-72

Very expected game in Tehran where 11th ranked Raad (5-16) was defeated by fourth ranked Naft Abadan (16-5) 72-59 on Thursday. Naft Abadan outrebounded Raad 41-29 including 29 on the defensive glass. The former international swingman Saeid Davarpanah (190-87, agency: Interperformances) scored 12 points and 9 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the former international Reza Ranjbar chipped in 15 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. Four Naft Abadan players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was the former international center Ebrahim Beigi (211-94) with 16 points and 9 rebounds and point guard Shayan Pourkavehdehkordi (184-98) scored 15 points. Defending champion moved-up to third place. Loser Raad dropped to the twelfth position with 16 games lost. Naft Abadan will face Toufarghan (#10) in Azarshahr in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Raad will play at home against Zob Ahan and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Naft Abadan: R.Ranjbar 15+9reb, M.Shahrian 14+4reb+5ast, S.Davarpanah 12+9reb+3ast, M.Moradinasab 10+4reb, M.Khaleghifard 9+10reb, S.Mohammadi 8+3reb+1ast
Raad: E.Beigi 16+9reb+1ast, S.Pourkavehdehkordi 15+2reb+2ast, M.Kamalvand 9+4reb+1ast, A.Nayeb 7+1reb, F.N 5+5reb+4ast, M.Saleh 5+1reb

Kerman - Toufarghan 79-76

A very interesting game took place in Kerman. It ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 10th ranked Toufarghan (7-13) to twelfth ranked Kerman (5-14) 79-76 on Thursday evening. Kerman forced 22 Toufarghan turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 25 assists comparing to just 8 passes made by Toufarghan's players. 29 personal fouls committed by Toufarghan helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a good game for center Mehdi Jafari (204-96) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 10 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Majid Rahimian contributed with 19 points and 4 steals for the winners. Four Kerman players scored in double figures. Kerman's coach Mohammad Kasaipour allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Canadian guard Kelvin Amayo (193-92, college: Loyola Mary) replied with 40 points (!!!) and the former international Adnan Doraghi (190-89) added 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in the effort for Toufarghan. Kerman moved-up to eleventh place. Toufarghan at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the tenth position with 13 games lost. Kerman's next round opponent will be league's second-placed Petrochimi in Bandar Imam and they do not belong to the favorites in that game.
Top scorers:
Kerman: R.Majid 19+4reb+3ast, A.Mohsen 15+5reb+3ast, C.Bonga 13+5reb+4ast, M.Jafari 10+10reb+7ast, M.Payam 9, A.Reza 8+1reb+2ast
Toufarghan: K.Amayo 40+1reb+1ast, A.Doraghi 11+5reb+4ast, S.Salehiyaneh 10+5reb+2ast, K.Nader 4+6reb, A.Amin 3+8reb, M.Shahin 3

Shahrdari Q. - Gorgan 62-92

Superleague top team - Gorgan (18-2) had no problems winning another game on Thursday. This time they crushed thirteenth ranked Shahrdari Q. (3-17) in Qazvin 92-62. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Shahrdari Q.. Gorgan dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Shahrdari Q.'s 30. The best player for the winners was the former international Aliyar Najafi (189-94) who scored 16 points and 5 rebounds. The former international guard Navid Rezaeifar (185-96) chipped in 15 points. At the other side the best for losing team was Amir Taherkhani who recorded a double-double by scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds and power forward Yaghoub Shaloushi (207-88) added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Gorgan have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 18-2 record. Newly promoted Shahrdari Q. keeps the thirteenth place with 17 games lost. Gorgan will meet at home Mahram (#4) in the next round. Shahrdari Q. will play against Shahrdari BA (#8) in Abbass and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Gorgan: A.Najafi 16+5reb+3ast, N.Rezaeifar 15+1reb+3ast, K.Yasin 11+4reb+2ast, R.Kabir 11, P.Petty 8+4reb+3ast, M.Hoseinpour 7+1reb
Shahrdari Q.: A.Taherkhani 15+10reb+2ast, Y.Shaloushi 15+8reb+1ast, V.Eslami 9+1reb+6ast, N.Farahani 7+3reb, M.Moradian 5+2ast, S.Taherpour 5+2reb

Zob Ahan - Mashad 54-83

Rather predictable result in Esfahan where sixth ranked Mashad (14-7) smashed 9th ranked Zob Ahan (8-13) 83-54 on Thursday. Mashad forced 24 Zob Ahan turnovers. American point guard Corin Henry (181-88, college: Tarleton St., agency: Agency) scored 24 points and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and the former international guard Emad Salmani (188-90) chipped in 13 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was Serbian center Nemanja Besovic (221-92, agency: Interperformances) with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds and French guard Jonathan Dogbo (193-91, college: Gannon, agency: Interperformances) scored 9 points and 5 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Mashad maintains sixth position with 14-7 record. Loser Zob Ahan keeps the ninth place with 13 games lost. Mashad will face higher ranked Chemidor (#5) in Tehran in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Zob Ahan will play on the road against Raad (#12) in Tehran and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Mashad: C.Henry 24+2reb+5ast, E.Salmani 13+5reb, M.Esmaeili 9+3reb+4ast, A.Mortazavi 9+4reb+1ast, A.Nasiri Rineh 9+3reb+2ast, S.Abolfazl Seyedi 6+1reb
Zob Ahan: N.Besovic 21+11reb, J.Dogbo 9+5reb, M.Zareei 7+2reb+1ast, A.Mostafa 4+1reb, Y.Pouya 4+3reb+3ast, S.Torabikhah 4+2reb+1ast

Chemidor - Army 86-72

Another interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Tehran: Chemidor (#5) and Army (#14). Chemidor (14-5) won against visiting Army (2-19) 86-72. Chemidor dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Army's 32. Army was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. The former international center Asghar Kardoust (212-86) had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds (perfect from the field making all eleven shots !!!) to lead the charge for the winners and the former international point guard Aren Davoudichegani (185-86) chipped in 16 points, 6 assists and 5 steals during the contest. Five Chemidor players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was Ali Rostami with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds and guard Hossein Zakeri (185-99) scored 18 points and 6 assists. Chemidor maintains fifth position with 14-5 record. Army lost eighth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 19 lost games. Chemidor will face Mashad (#6) in Mashhad in the next round. Army will play at home against Exxon SC (#7) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Chemidor: A.Kardoust 26+11reb+2ast, D.Derghokasian 17+4reb+3ast, A.Davoudichegani 16+3reb+6ast, M.Rostampour 13+7reb, M.Ojaghi 10+7reb+4ast, R.Derghokasian 2+2ast
Army: H.Zakeri 18+3reb+6ast, A.Rostami 17+10reb+1ast, J.Ashkan 12+2reb+3ast, G.Sajjad 7+5reb+2ast, S.Mortazavi 6+2reb+1ast, R.Mohammadi 6+6reb

Exxon SC - Shahrdari BA 70-67

Important game to mention about took place in Teheran. Seventh ranked Exxon SC (9-10) saved a 3-point victory at home edging 8th ranked Shahrdari BA (8-12) 70-67 in the game for the seventh place. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Shahrdari BA. Exxon SC brought some defensive toughness making 9 blocks. The former international center Mohsen Moradkhani (213-90) notched a double-double by scoring 18 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the effort and the former international swingman Ehsan Samadi (192-98) supported him with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Even a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds by American-Guyanese forward Kedar Edwards (196-93, college: UT Martin, agency: Interperformances) did not help to save the game for Shahrdari BA. The former international swingman Ali Jamshidi (196-85) added 14 points and 14 rebounds. Shahrdari BA's coach Reza Hengampour rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Newly promoted Exxon SC maintains seventh position with 9-10 record. Shahrdari BA at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the eighth place with 12 games lost. Exxon SC will play against bottom-ranked Army (#14) in Tehran in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Shahrdari BA will play at home against Shahrdari Q. (#13) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Exxon SC: M.Moradkhani 18+13reb+1ast, E.Samadi 18+5reb+3ast, N.Khajezadeh 13+7reb+1ast, T.Mohamadreza 6+4reb+3ast, A.Rezaeifar 6+11reb+1ast, D.Ehsan 4+4reb+1ast
Shahrdari BA: K.Edwards 25+13reb+1ast, A.Jamshidi 14+14reb, H.Eshagh 12+3reb+2ast, K.Ghotbi 7+2reb+1ast, Y.Lalehzadeh 5+3reb+2ast, S.Soroodi 2



Tags : SAJJAD MASHAYEKHI, PETROCHIMI BANDAR IMAM HARBOUR, IRANIAN BASKETBALL