Superleague Round 8: Zob Ahan edge Sirjan by two points

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 8 in the Superleague took place in Esfahan. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of second-ranked Sirjan (3-2) to third ranked Zob Ahan (4-1) 101-99 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Sirjan. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Zob Ahan forced 20 Sirjan turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international Arsalan Kazemi (200-90, college: Oregon, agency: BIG) who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 22 rebounds and 4 assists (on 11-of-13 shooting from the field). The former international point guard Sajjad Mashayekhi (180-94) chipped in 28 points and 9 assists. Montenegrin-Serbian forward Nikola Dragovic (206-87, college: UCLA, agency: BeoBasket) produced a double-double by scoring 27 points and 16 rebounds for the guests. Zob Ahan have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place. Newly promoted Sirjan dropped to the fourth position with two games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Khouzestan can celebrate finally their first win this season after one consecutive losses. They used home court advantage to defeat Niroo Zamini (0-6) 78-59. Morteza Mahourzadeh orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. Arash Sabeti contributed with 15 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Khashayar Ali-Akbari replied with 18 points and 6 rebounds for Niroo Zamini. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Khouzestan (1-1) left bottom position moving up to sixth place. Niroo Zamini at the other side still closes the standings with six games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Leader Gorgan delivered the fifth victory on Wednesday night. This time they crushed 5th ranked Kouchin (2-3) 92-68 in Amol. Worth to mention a quality performance of Perry Petty who helped to win the game recording 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Gorgan's coach Mehran Hatami felt very confident that he used 10 players and allowed the starting five to rest. Matin Aghajanpoor responded with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Defending champion maintains first position with 5-1 record. Loser Kouchin keeps the fifth place with three games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.

In the last game of round 8 Naft Abadan was defeated by Kerman in a road game 98-87.

Kouchin - Gorgan 68-92

Leader Gorgan delivered the fifth victory on Wednesday night. This time they crushed 5th ranked Kouchin (2-3) 92-68 in Amol. Gorgan forced 19 Kouchin turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Worth to mention a quality performance of American-Guinea-Bissau point guard Perry Petty (185-88, college: UTRGV) who helped to win the game recording 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals and the former international center Meisam Mirzaei (210-92) who added 14 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists during the contest. Petty is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Gorgan's coach Mehran Hatami felt very confident that he used 10 players and allowed the starting five to rest. The former international Matin Aghajanpoor (199-1) responded with 15 points and 5 rebounds and Amirhossein Yazarloo (196-2) scored 16 points. Five Gorgan and four Kouchin players scored in double figures. Defending champion maintains first position with 5-1 record. Loser Kouchin keeps the fifth place with three games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Gorgan: M.Jamshidi 24+1reb+3ast, P.Petty 23+7reb+4ast, R.Mozafari 14+5reb+6ast, M.Mirzaei 14+13reb+5ast, S.Pazrofteh 11+6reb+3ast, A.Sedighi 3+5reb+1ast
Kouchin: Y.Amirhossein 16+4reb, A.Matin 15+5reb+3ast, L.Mohammadmahdi 14+1reb, D.Chatkevicius 11+7reb+1ast, L.Mohammadhadi 8+4reb+5ast, Y.Nosrat 2+2reb+1ast

Khouzestan - Niroo Zamini 78-59

Khouzestan can celebrate finally their first win this season after one consecutive losses. They used home court advantage to defeat Niroo Zamini (0-6) 78-59. They outrebounded Niroo Zamini 48-32 including 16 on the offensive glass. Niroo Zamini was plagued by 28 personal fouls down the stretch. Morteza Mahourzadeh orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. Arash Sabeti contributed with 15 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Five Khouzestan players scored in double figures. Khashayar Ali-Akbari replied with 18 points and 6 rebounds and Payam Mohammadi added 10 points and 9 rebounds in the effort for Niroo Zamini. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Khouzestan (1-1) left bottom position moving up to sixth place. Niroo Zamini at the other side still closes the standings with six games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Khouzestan: A.Sabeti 15+8reb+1ast, M.Morteza 14+10reb+2ast, S.Aali Reza 11+3reb+1ast, S.Mohammad 11+5reb+1ast, A.Mostafa 10+11reb, M.Mohammad 6+2reb
Niroo Zamini: A.Khashayar 18+6reb+1ast, Y.Pouya 14+4reb+2ast, M.Payam 10+9reb+2ast, Z.Soheil 7+5reb, P.Ghonoudi 6+3reb, V.Sabetrasekhi 2+1reb

Kerman - Naft Abadan 98-87

There was no surprise when 7th ranked Naft Abadan (1-4) was defeated on the road by fourth ranked Kerman (4-2) 98-87 on Thursday. Kerman made 30-of-35 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game, while Naft Abadan only scored eleven points from the stripe. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Isaiah Williams (188-95, college: Georgia St., agency: BIG) who helped to win the game recording 39 points (!!!) and 7 assists (was perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line !!!) and Ukrainian center Igor Chumakov (208-90, agency: BIG) who added 30 points and 8 rebounds (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line) during the contest. Williams is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. The former international guard Ehsan Dalirzahan (186-0) responded with 32 points and 5 rebounds and the former international Vahid Dalirzahan (199-95) scored 13 points. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. Kerman moved-up to third place. Loser Naft Abadan keeps the seventh position with four games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Kerman: I.Williams 39+4reb+7ast, I.Chumakov 30+8reb+1ast, S.Torabikhah 15+4ast, K.Iman 6+6reb+2ast, M.Saleh 6+4reb, A.Kardoust 2+3reb
Naft Abadan: D.Ehsan 32+5reb+3ast, V.Dalirzahan 13+4reb+2ast, R.Ranjbar 10+4reb, S.Mohammadi 8+3reb+8ast, A.Doraghi 7+5reb, M.Helchi 6+2reb

Zob Ahan - Sirjan 101-99

The most exciting game of round 8 in the Superleague took place in Esfahan. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of second-ranked Sirjan (3-2) to third ranked Zob Ahan (4-1) 101-99 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Sirjan. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Zob Ahan forced 20 Sirjan turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international Arsalan Kazemi (200-90, college: Oregon, agency: BIG) who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 22 rebounds and 4 assists (on 11-of-13 shooting from the field). The former international point guard Sajjad Mashayekhi (180-94) chipped in 28 points and 9 assists. Montenegrin-Serbian forward Nikola Dragovic (206-87, college: UCLA, agency: BeoBasket) produced a double-double by scoring 27 points and 16 rebounds and Russian guard Anton Ponkrashov (200-86) added 20 points and 6 assists respectively for the guests. Five Zob Ahan and four Sirjan players scored in double figures. Zob Ahan have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place. Newly promoted Sirjan dropped to the fourth position with two games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Zob Ahan: S.Mashayekhi 28+9ast, A.Kazemi 25+22reb+4ast, A.Khalilnejad 15+3reb, A.Gholizadeh 11+6reb, A.Mohmmad 10+3reb+4ast, F.Aslani 7+2reb+4ast
Sirjan: N.Dragovic 27+16reb, A.Ponkrashov 20+4reb+6ast, M.Shahrian 19+3reb+4ast, A.Taherkhani 15+4reb+1ast, M.Soleymani 8+6reb, F.Nima 5+1reb+1ast



Tags : ARSALAN KAZEMI, ZOB AHAN ISFAHAN, IRANIAN BASKETBALL