Superleague Round 13: Chemidor hand first loss to Rafsanjan

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Rafsanjan (4-1) at the home court on Sunday night. Hosts were rolled over by Chemidor (6-1) 86-64. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Rafsanjan. Chemidor keeps a position of league leader. Rafsanjan at the other side keeps the third place with one game lost. Chemidor will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Rafsanjan will play on the road against Sanaye in Bandar Abbass and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.
Sixth-ranked Khouzestan (2-4) was very close to win a game against second ranked Sirjan (6-3). Sirjan managed to secure only three-point victory 82-79. However their fans expected much easier game. Montenegrin-Serbian forward Nikola Dragovic (206-87, college: UCLA, agency: BeoBasket) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and Amir Taherkhani chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds. Sirjan's coach allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. At the losing side American swingman Darington Hobson (201-87, college: N.Mexico) responded with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. Sirjan have a solid series of three victories in a row. Newly promoted Sirjan maintains second place with 6-3 record having just two points less than leader Chemidor. Khouzestan lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. They share it with Parsa. Sirjan will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Khouzestan will play at home against Kouchin (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
An interesting game for Gorgan (8-1) which played road game in Sirjan against their biggest opponent Sirjan (6-3). First ranked Gorgan managed to get a 8-point victory 84-76. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Sirjan. Mohammad Jamshidi nailed 36 points (!!!), 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side. Nikola Dragovic came up with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for Sirjan in the defeat. Sirjan's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Gorgan have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 8-1 record. Newly promoted Sirjan keeps the second position with three games lost.

Other games in round 13 were not that significant. Naft Abadan beat Khouzestan on the road 90-86. Foolad lost to Rafsanjan on its own court 55-64. Kerman managed to outperform Kouchin in a road game 93-79. Gorgan managed to beat Niroo Zamini at home 78-66. Sirjan defeated Naft Abadan on the opponent's court 75-63. Winless Niroo Zamini was beaten by Naft Abadan in a home game 66-76.
The most impressive performance of 13th round was 22 points and 10 rebounds by Mehdi Helchi of Naft Abadan.

Khouzestan - Naft Abadan 86-90

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams when seventh ranked Naft Abadan (3-6) beat 6th ranked Khouzestan (2-4) in Ahvaz 90-86 on Sunday. The former international guard Ehsan Dalirzahan (186-0) nailed 32 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and the former international swingman Saeid Mohammadi (187-92) accounted for 19 points and 5 assists. American swingman Darington Hobson (201-87, college: N.Mexico) came up with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Noarma Baru added 16 points and 11 rebounds respectively for Khouzestan in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Naft Abadan moved-up to sixth place. Khouzestan lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. They share it with Parsa. Naft Abadan will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Khouzestan will play against Kouchin (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Khouzestan: P.Behnam 21+2reb+2ast, D.Hobson 19+5reb+6ast, B.Noarma 16+11reb+2ast, A.Sabeti 12+3reb+2ast, S.Mohammad 9+5reb+2ast, S.Saeid 5+1reb+1ast
Naft Abadan: D.Ehsan 32+5reb+4ast, S.Mohammadi 19+3reb+5ast, M.Helchi 13+4reb+2ast, R.Ranjbar 11+7reb, V.Dalirzahan 6+3reb, M.Esmaeili 4+8reb+5ast

Foolad - Rafsanjan 55-64

Rather expected game when 5th ranked Foolad (2-5) lost to third ranked Rafsanjan (4-1) in Tehran 55-64 on Monday. Rafsanjan held Foolad to an opponent 24.6 percent shooting from the field compared to 39.6 percent accuracy of the winners and made 20-of-24 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game. Rafsanjan outrebounded Foolad 44-31 including a 35-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Rafsanjan made 7 blocks. Majid Rahimian nailed 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for the winning side and Mohammadreza Moradian accounted for 12 points and 11 rebounds. Four Rafsanjan players scored in double figures. The former international guard Emad Salmani (188-90) came up with a double-double by scoring 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and Payam Kiani added 15 points respectively for Foolad in the defeat. Foolad's coach rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Rafsanjan have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain third place with 4-1 record having 4 victories less than leader Chemidor. Foolad lost third consecutive game. Newly promoted team dropped to the sixth position with five games lost. They share it with Exxon SC. Rafsanjan will meet Sanaye (#8) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Foolad will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Foolad: P.Kiani 15+4reb+1ast, F.Sabouri 13+1reb+1ast, E.Salmani 11+10reb+4ast, M.Bahram 9+3reb+3ast, S.Rasoul 3+3reb+1ast, S.Zadourian 2+1ast
Rafsanjan: R.Majid 16+9reb+4ast, M.Moradian 12+11reb+1ast, R.Gilchrist 11+8reb+1ast, M.Khaleghifard 10+10reb, V.Eslami 6+3ast, S.Yaghoub 4+2reb

Sirjan - Khouzestan 82-79

Sixth-ranked Khouzestan (2-4) was very close to win a game against second ranked Sirjan (6-3). Sirjan managed to secure only three-point victory 82-79. However their fans expected much easier game. Sirjan forced 20 Khouzestan turnovers. Montenegrin-Serbian forward Nikola Dragovic (206-87, college: UCLA, agency: BeoBasket) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and Amir Taherkhani chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds. Five Sirjan players scored in double figures. Sirjan's coach allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. At the losing side American swingman Darington Hobson (201-87, college: N.Mexico) responded with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists and Noarma Baru scored 9 points and 15 rebounds. Sirjan have a solid series of three victories in a row. Newly promoted Sirjan maintains second place with 6-3 record having just two points less than leader Chemidor. Khouzestan lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. They share it with Parsa. Sirjan will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Khouzestan will play at home against Kouchin (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Khouzestan: D.Hobson 26+15reb+8ast, A.Sabeti 19+2reb+1ast, B.Noarma 9+15reb+1ast, S.Mohammad 9+2reb+1ast, P.Behnam 6, G.Abolfazl 4+5reb
Sirjan: A.Taherkhani 18+10reb+2ast, M.Soleymani 16+5reb, N.Dragovic 16+13reb+4ast, E.Samadi 11+3ast, M.Shahrian 11+3reb+4ast, A.Ponkrashov 7+3reb+2ast

Rafsanjan - Chemidor 64-86

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Rafsanjan (4-1) at the home court on Sunday night. Hosts were rolled over by Chemidor (6-1) 86-64. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Rafsanjan. Chemidor keeps a position of league leader. Rafsanjan at the other side keeps the third place with one game lost. Chemidor will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Rafsanjan will play on the road against Sanaye in Bandar Abbass and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.

Kouchin - Kerman 79-93

The game between closely ranked teams ended with fourth ranked Kerman's (5-3) road victory over 5th ranked Kouchin (4-3) in Amol 93-79 on Sunday. Kerman held Kouchin to an opponent 24.6 percent shooting from the field compared to 53.7 percent accuracy of the winners. The former international center Asghar Kardoust (212-86, agency: BIG) nailed a double-double by scoring 18 points and 13 rebounds (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field) for the winning side and American guard Isaiah Williams (188-95, college: Georgia St., agency: BIG) accounted for 25 points. Williams is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Kerman's coach Mohammed Eslami used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The former international center Asghar Kardoust (212-86, agency: BIG) came up with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 13 rebounds (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field) and American guard Isaiah Williams (188-95, college: Georgia St., agency: BIG) added 25 points respectively for Kouchin in the defeat. Kerman moved-up to third place, which they share with Zob Ahan. Loser Kouchin keeps the fifth position with three games lost. Kerman will meet at home Zob Ahan (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Kouchin will play against Khouzestan in Ahvaz and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:

Mazandaran: M.Aghajanpoor (C) 23+4reb+7ast, D.Balaban 17+6reb+4ast, A.Yazarloo 16+6reb+1ast, J.Aghamiri 11+4reb, M.Lakzaifard 7+2reb+4ast, N.Yazarloo 2+1reb

Gorgan - Niroo Zamini 78-66

Not a big story in a game when bottom-ranked Niroo Zamini (0-9) lost on the road to first ranked Gorgan (8-1) 78-66 on Monday. Gorgan outrebounded Niroo Zamini 42-29 including 32 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American Christopher Evans (203-91, college: Kent St.) nailed 23 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and the former international forward Sajjad Pazrofteh (205-96) accounted for 10 points and 10 rebounds. Four Gorgan players scored in double figures. Guard Pouya Yakhchali (-96) came up with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists and Khashayar Ali-Akbari added 12 points and 5 rebounds respectively for Niroo Zamini in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Gorgan have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 8-1 record. Loser Niroo Zamini still closes the standings with nine games lost.
Top scorers:
Niroo Zamini: Y.Pouya 19+5reb+8ast, A.Khashayar 12+5reb+1ast, A.Mahdi 9+3reb, M.Payam 8+2reb+1ast, P.Ghonoudi 7+3reb, S.Reza 6+5reb
Gorgan: C.Evans 23+9reb+3ast, K.Riaei 11+4reb+2ast, J.Ashkan 10+5reb, S.Pazrofteh 10+10reb+2ast, A.Najafi 6+1reb+2ast, A.Sedighi 5+3reb

Naft Abadan - Sirjan 63-75

Everything went according to plan when second ranked Sirjan (6-3) defeated on the road 7th ranked Naft Abadan (3-6) 75-63 on Monday. Sirjan forced 21 Naft Abadan turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Russian guard Anton Ponkrashov (200-86) nailed 24 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists for the winning side and the former international center Masoud Soleymani (207-90) accounted for 16 points and 6 rebounds. Four Sirjan players scored in double figures. The former international guard Ehsan Dalirzahan (186-0) came up with 19 points and 5 rebounds and the former international center Mehdi Esmaeili (207-84) added 7 points and 9 rebounds respectively for Naft Abadan in the defeat. Naft Abadan's coach Ali Towfigh rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Sirjan have a solid series of three victories in a row. Newly promoted Sirjan maintains second place with 6-3 record having just two points less than leader Chemidor. Loser Naft Abadan dropped to the sixth position with six games lost.
Top scorers:
Naft Abadan: D.Ehsan 19+5reb+3ast, T.Mohamadreza 12+1reb+2ast, R.Ranjbar 9+5reb, S.Mohammadi 8+3ast, M.Esmaeili 7+9reb, V.Dalirzahan 5+4reb
Sirjan: A.Ponkrashov 24+7reb+8ast, M.Soleymani 16+6reb+2ast, N.Dragovic 13+3reb+5ast, A.Taherkhani 11+6reb+2ast, M.Shahrian 9+3reb+4ast, F.Nima 2+2reb

Sirjan - Gorgan 76-84

An interesting game for Gorgan (8-1) which played road game in Sirjan against their biggest opponent Sirjan (6-3). First ranked Gorgan managed to get a 8-point victory 84-76. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Sirjan. Gorgan dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Sirjan's 36. International Mohammad Jamshidi (199-91, agency: BIG) nailed 36 points (!!!), 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and the former international center Meisam Mirzaei (210-92) accounted for 8 points and 12 rebounds. Montenegrin-Serbian forward Nikola Dragovic (206-87, college: UCLA, agency: BeoBasket) came up with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists and Russian guard Anton Ponkrashov (200-86) added 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for Sirjan in the defeat. Sirjan's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Gorgan have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 8-1 record. Newly promoted Sirjan keeps the second position with three games lost.
Top scorers:
Sirjan: N.Dragovic 25+8reb+4ast, A.Ponkrashov 19+9reb+4ast, A.Taherkhani 13+6reb+1ast, M.Soleymani 5+6reb+2ast, N.Reza 4+1reb, M.Shahrian 4+1ast
Gorgan: M.Jamshidi 36+7reb+4ast, C.Evans 12+4reb, A.Sedighi 10+6reb, M.Mirzaei 8+12reb, R.Mozafari 7+3reb+3ast, S.Pazrofteh 6+4reb

Niroo Zamini - Naft Abadan 66-76

The game between closely ranked teams ended with bottom-ranked Niroo Zamini's (0-9) home loss to seventh ranked Naft Abadan (3-6) in Tehran 66-76 on Saturday. Naft Abadan dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Niroo Zamini's 28. They outrebounded Niroo Zamini 46-30 including 19 on the offensive glass. Mehdi Helchi nailed a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field) for the winning side and the former international Reza Ranjbar accounted for 12 points and 12 rebounds. Four Naft Abadan players scored in double figures. Guard Pouya Yakhchali (-96) came up with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists and Khashayar Ali-Akbari added 20 points respectively for Niroo Zamini in the defeat. Naft Abadan moved-up to sixth place. Niroo Zamini lost their ninth game in a row. They still close the standings with nine games lost.
Top scorers:
Niroo Zamini: A.Khashayar 20+3reb+2ast, S.Reza 14+5reb+2ast, Y.Pouya 11+6reb+8ast, M.Payam 8+5reb, N.Maziar 4+4reb, A.Mahdi 3+1reb+2ast
Naft Abadan: M.Helchi 22+10reb, S.Mohammadi 15+3reb+8ast, R.Ranjbar 12+12reb+3ast, T.Mohamadreza 12+3reb+3ast, A.Nasser 4+1reb, M.Esmaeili 4+3reb+1ast



Tags : NIKOLA DRAGOVIC, NAZM AVARAN SIRJAN, IRANIAN BASKETBALL