Superleague Round 5 of Regular Season

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most interesting game of round 5 was only three-point a home defeat of 5th ranked Mahram (3-2) to third ranked Gorgan (4-1) 84-81. Gorgan outrebounded Mahram 42-28 including a 32-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. International point guard Sina Vahedi (185-2001) stepped up and scored 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists for the winners and American point guard Will Cherry (185-1991, college: Montana) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds. The former international Mohammad Jamshidi (199-1991, agency: BIG) responded with 33 points (!!!) and 5 assists. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Defending champion moved-up to second place, which they share with Zob Ahan and Tabiat. Mahram at the other side keeps the fifth position with two games lost. They share it with Kalleh and Rafsanjan. Gorgan is looking forward to face league's leader Naft Abadan at home in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Mahram will play against Kerman (#10) and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Kerman has registered their first victory this season after four consecutive losses. The win is especially important as they edged much higher ranked Kalleh (3-2) on the road game in Amol 81-80. Amirhosein Mojiri nailed 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and Erfan Soleimani accounted for 15 points and 8 rebounds. The former international center Meisam Mirzaei (210-1992) came up with 18 points and 9 rebounds for Kalleh in the defeat. Kerman (1-4) left bottom position moving up to eighth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Newly promoted Kalleh keeps the fifth position with two games lost. They share it with Mahram and Rafsanjan. Kerman will play against higher ranked Mahram (#6) in Tehran in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Kalleh will play on the road against Zob Ahan in Esfahan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Superleague top team - Naft Abadan (5-0) added another victory to their record on Monday. This time they beat eighth ranked Limondis (1-4) 79-75. The best player for the winners was Amir Taherkhani who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Jalen Bradley produced 19 points and 6 rebounds for the guests. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Undefeated Naft Abadan have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with 5-0 record. Limondis lost third consecutive game. Newly promoted team keep the eighth position with four games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Naft Abadan will meet league's second-placed Gorgan on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Limondis will play against Raad (#11) and hope to win that game.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 5: Averta lost to Rafsanjan on the opponent's court 77-84. Raad was outscored by Tabiat in a home game 74-115. Zob Ahan managed to beat Sanaye on the road 92-81.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 18 points and 9 rebounds by Hossien Makarian of Zob Ahan.



Kalleh - Kerman 80-81

Kerman has registered their first victory this season after four consecutive losses. The win is especially important as they edged much higher ranked Kalleh (3-2) on the road game in Amol 81-80. Amirhosein Mojiri nailed 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and Erfan Soleimani accounted for 15 points and 8 rebounds. The former international center Meisam Mirzaei (210-1992) came up with 18 points and 9 rebounds and American point guard Patrick Rembert (185-1990, college: UC Irvine, agency: Slash Sports) added 25 points respectively for Kalleh in the defeat. Five Kerman and four Kalleh players scored in double figures. Kerman (1-4) left bottom position moving up to eighth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Newly promoted Kalleh keeps the fifth position with two games lost. They share it with Mahram and Rafsanjan. Kerman will play against higher ranked Mahram (#6) in Tehran in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Kalleh will play on the road against Zob Ahan in Esfahan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kalleh: P.Rembert 25+1reb+2ast, M.Mirzaei 18+9reb+1ast, A.Jalal 14+8reb+1ast, Y.Nosrat 10+4reb+2ast, A.Matin 5+6reb+2ast, D.Ali 4+5reb+1ast
Kerman: M.Amirhosein 16+7reb+2ast, S.Erfan 15+8reb+2ast, A.Mehdi 15+5reb+2ast, M.Esmaeili 12+6reb+3ast, H.Seyed 10+1reb+3ast, M.Mohsen 10+4reb

Mahram - Gorgan 81-84

The most interesting game of round 5 was only three-point a home defeat of 5th ranked Mahram (3-2) to third ranked Gorgan (4-1) 84-81. Gorgan outrebounded Mahram 42-28 including a 32-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. International point guard Sina Vahedi (185-2001) stepped up and scored 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists for the winners and American point guard Will Cherry (185-1991, college: Montana) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds. The former international Mohammad Jamshidi (199-1991, agency: BIG) responded with 33 points (!!!) and 5 assists and Nigerian-American power forward OD Anosike (203-1991, college: Siena) produced a double-double by scoring 11 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Defending champion moved-up to second place, which they share with Zob Ahan and Tabiat. Mahram at the other side keeps the fifth position with two games lost. They share it with Kalleh and Rafsanjan. Gorgan is looking forward to face league's leader Naft Abadan at home in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Mahram will play against Kerman (#10) and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Mahram: M.Jamshidi 33+5ast, S.Mashayekhi 15+8reb+3ast, O.Anosike 11+13reb+4ast, G.Piter 10+1reb, S.Pazrofteh 9+5reb+3ast, J.Matin 3+1reb
Gorgan: W.Cherry 20+6reb+3ast, V.Sina 19+5reb+7ast, N.Pelle 15+11reb, A.Gholizadeh 13+8reb+2ast, M.Sheikhi 8, A.Azari 5+1reb

Rafsanjan - Averta 84-77

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 8th ranked Averta's (1-4) road loss to seventh ranked Rafsanjan (3-2) 77-84 on Monday. Rafsanjan made 26-of-33 free shots (78.8 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was Lithuanian power forward Julius Jucikas (204-1989, agency: BIG) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points and 12 rebounds. Croatian swingman Fran Pilepic (194-1989) chipped in 22 points and 5 assists (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line). Five Rafsanjan players scored in double figures. American-Haitian guard Derric Jean (188-1997, college: La Tech, agency: BIG) produced 26 points and 4 steals and forward Mohammad Yazdanpanah (201-1995) added 19 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the guests. Averta's coach Siamak Veisi rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Rafsanjan moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Mahram and Kalleh. Newly promoted Averta keeps the eighth position with four games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Rafsanjan will meet higher ranked Tabiat (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Averta will play against Sanaye (#12) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Averta: D.Jean 26+4reb+3ast, M.Yazdanpanah 19+6reb+1ast, R.Majid 17+6reb+2ast, J.van der List 4+9reb+1ast, S.Amirmehdi 3, A.Mortazavi 3+1ast
Rafsanjan: F.Pilepic 22+3reb+5ast, Y.Pouya 19+7reb+4ast, J.Jucikas 18+12reb+1ast, T.Mohamadreza 12+3reb+3ast, V.Ali 11+5reb+3ast, S.Ali 2+1reb

Raad - Tabiat 74-115

Very predictable result in Mashhad where fourth ranked Tabiat (4-1) smashed 10th ranked Raad (1-4) 115-74 on Monday. Tabiat outrebounded Raad 40-25 including 26 on the defensive glass. Tabiat shot the lights out from three sinking 19 long-distance shots on high 55.9 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was Swiss point guard Jordan Stevens (182-1994, college: Midwestern St.) who scored 32 points (perfect behind the arc making all five shots). Nigerian-American swingman Michael Gbinije (201-1992, college: Syracuse, agency: AltusBasket) chipped in 18 points and 4 assists. Mohsen Varankeshi produced a double-double by scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and Hosein Shekari added 18 points respectively for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Tabiat moved-up to second place, which they share with Zob Ahan and Gorgan. Loser Raad dropped to the eighth position with four games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Tabiat will meet at home Rafsanjan (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Raad will play against Limondis and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Raad: V.Mohsen 20+10reb+4ast, S.Hosein 18+4reb, J.Behnam 14+3ast, S.Ehsan 10, K.Pooria 7+2reb+2ast, H.Amir 3+1reb
Tabiat: J.Stevens 32+1reb+1ast, M.Gbinije 18+4reb+4ast, N.Reza 14+3reb+1ast, A.Zangeneh 11+4reb+1ast, J.Ashkan 11+2reb+3ast, G.Seyed 9+3reb+1ast

Naft Abadan - Limondis 79-75

Superleague top team - Naft Abadan (5-0) added another victory to their record on Monday. This time they beat eighth ranked Limondis (1-4) 79-75. The best player for the winners was Amir Taherkhani who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Mehdi Hasanzadeh chipped in a double-double by scoring 11 points and 14 rebounds. American point guard Jalen Bradley (185-1993, college: ORU, agency: Haylett Sports) produced 19 points and 6 rebounds and Arash Sabeti added 18 points and 5 rebounds respectively for the guests. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Naft Abadan have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with 5-0 record. Limondis lost third consecutive game. Newly promoted team keep the eighth position with four games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Naft Abadan will meet league's second-placed Gorgan on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Limondis will play against Raad (#11) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Limondis: J.Bradley 19+6reb+3ast, A.Sabeti 18+5reb+1ast, V.Aliabadi 14+2reb+1ast, S.Mortaza Jafari 8+1reb, D.Tubak 5+7reb, K.Mohammadamin 5+5reb
Naft Abadan: A.Taherkhani 25+11reb+5ast, S.Amir 14+7reb, H.Mehdi 11+14reb+2ast, R.Hesam 9+1reb, N.Khajezadeh 8+3reb+3ast, F.Aslani 6+8reb+8ast

Sanaye - Zob Ahan 81-92

Not a big story in a game in Bandar Abbass where bottom-ranked Sanaye (0-5) was defeated by fifth ranked Zob Ahan (4-1) 92-81 on Monday. Zob Ahan outrebounded Sanaye 34-23 including 26 on the defensive glass. Zob Ahan looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international Hossien Makarian (195-2001) who scored 18 points and 9 rebounds. American point guard Dwight Buycks (191-1989, college: Marquette) chipped in 18 points. Four Zob Ahan players scored in double figures. The former international power forward Sarem Jafari (207-2005, agency: BIG) produced 27 points (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) and the former international forward Eshagh Hatami (190-2000) added 18 points and 8 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for Zob Ahan. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Gorgan and Tabiat. Sanaye lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. Zob Ahan will meet at home Kalleh (#5) in the next round. Sanaye will play against Averta (#8) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Sanaye: J.Sarem 27+2reb+1ast, H.Eshagh 18+8reb+2ast, M.Perovic 18+6reb, R.Crawford 8+1reb+1ast, M.Vaez 5+3reb+3ast, D.Mohammadamin 5+1reb
Zob Ahan: M.Hossien 18+9reb+1ast, D.Buycks 18+3reb+2ast, M.Soleymani 15+4reb+2ast, R.Arghavan 11+6reb+2ast, A.Kardoust 10+6reb+3ast, R.Mozafari 8+5reb+8ast