Superleague Round 21 (Regular Season): Zakho beats Dijlah by two after a very close game

Coincidentally all hosts won their games. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 21 in the Superleague took place in Zakho. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of second-best Dijlah (14-4) to sixth ranked Zakho (9-7) 88-86 on Sunday evening. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Dijlah. Zakho made 20-of-24 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game. It was a good game for American guard Marcus Burwell (190-1997, college: Catawba) who led his team to a victory with 30 points and 4 steals. International guard Murad Zewki (191-2000) contributed with 22 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. American guard Shane Gibson (188-1990, college: Sacred Heart) answered with 32 points and 5 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) for Dijlah. Zakho moved-up to fourth place. Dijlah at the other side keeps the second position with four games lost.
The game between eighth ranked Ghaz Al-Shamal (7-7) and 10th ranked Tijarah (3-14) in Kirku ended with biggest points difference. Ghaz Al-Shamal outscored guests from 119-85. American guard Kaleb Hunter (193-1998, college: UNCG) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 39 points (!!!) and 11 rebounds for the winners and Ricardo Artis II chipped in 17 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists. The best for the losing side was AlaA Al-Saedi with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Ghaz Al-Shamal maintains eighth place with 7-7 record. Tijarah at the other side keeps the tenth position with 14 games lost.
Another exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Baghdad: Al Shurtah (#3) and Al Kahraba (#9). Despite it looked like an easy game for Al Shurtah, those rules do not exist in derby games. It's more the case of honor for local supporters and such games have that special and unique approach you cannot find in other games. Guest Al Kahraba challenged much higher ranked Al Shurtah giving them a very tough game, but finally losing it by six points 82-76. American players dominated the game. Antwaine Wiggins nailed a double-double by scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side. Brian Bridgeforth came up with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 16 rebounds (on 12-of-14 shooting from the field) for Al Kahraba in the defeat. Al Shurtah have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain third place with 12-6 record having just two points less than leader Al-Difaa. Al Kahraba lost ninth consecutive game. They keep the ninth position with 13 games lost.




Al Shurtah - Al Kahraba 82-76

Another exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Baghdad: Al Shurtah (#3) and Al Kahraba (#9). Despite it looked like an easy game for Al Shurtah, those rules do not exist in derby games. It's more the case of honor for local supporters and such games have that special and unique approach you cannot find in other games. Guest Al Kahraba challenged much higher ranked Al Shurtah giving them a very tough game, but finally losing it by six points 82-76. Al Shurtah looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. American players dominated the game. Forward Antwaine Wiggins (203-1988, college: Charleston) nailed a double-double by scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side and James Justice (178-1989, college: UT Southern) accounted for 24 points and 4 assists. Center Brian Bridgeforth (208-1994, college: WAU, agency: Gulf Coast Hoops) came up with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 16 rebounds (on 12-of-14 shooting from the field) and swingman Tavarius Shine (198-1994, college: OK State) added 18 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Al Kahraba in the defeat. Al Shurtah have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain third place with 12-6 record having just two points less than leader Al-Difaa. Al Kahraba lost ninth consecutive game. They keep the ninth position with 13 games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Shurtah: J.Justice 24+1reb+4ast, A.Wiggins 21+11reb+1ast, N.Altaleb 8+3reb+1ast, A.Al-Jashaami 7+1reb+3ast, R.Abdulla 6+8reb+10ast, T.Crump 6+1reb+2ast
Al Kahraba: B.Bridgeforth 29+16reb+2ast, T.Shine 18+6reb+3ast, H.Aldiwani 13+9reb+2ast, S.Al-Saedi 6+2reb+1ast, M.Kareem 5+3reb+3ast, A.Kareem 3+1reb+7ast

Zakho - Dijlah 88-86

The most exciting game of round 21 in the Superleague took place in Zakho. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of second-best Dijlah (14-4) to sixth ranked Zakho (9-7) 88-86 on Sunday evening. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Dijlah. Zakho made 20-of-24 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game. It was a good game for American guard Marcus Burwell (190-1997, college: Catawba) who led his team to a victory with 30 points and 4 steals. International guard Murad Zewki (191-2000) contributed with 22 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Four Zakho players scored in double figures. American guard Shane Gibson (188-1990, college: Sacred Heart) answered with 32 points and 5 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) and Abdullah Alibrahimi added 17 points and 15 rebounds in the effort for Dijlah. Zakho moved-up to fourth place. Dijlah at the other side keeps the second position with four games lost.
Top scorers:
Zakho: M.Burwell 30+2reb+3ast, M.Zewki 22+5reb+1ast, Z.Alyousif 18+3reb+2ast, I.Banks 10+10reb+3ast, M.Murad 7+8reb+2ast, J.Roberts 1+1reb
Dijlah: S.Gibson 32+5reb+2ast, A.Alibrahimi 17+15reb+1ast, H.Al-Hayali 9, D.Liggins 8+3reb+6ast, K.Hamzah 8+1reb, G.Tarin 4+6reb+2ast

Ghaz Al-Shamal - Tijarah 119-85

The game between eighth ranked Ghaz Al-Shamal (7-7) and 10th ranked Tijarah (3-14) in Kirku ended with biggest points difference. Ghaz Al-Shamal outscored guests from 119-85. Ghaz Al-Shamal dominated down low during the game scoring 70 of its points in the paint compared to Tijarah's 42. They outrebounded Tijarah 51-36 including a 34-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Ghaz Al-Shamal players were unselfish on offense dishing 31 assists. American guard Kaleb Hunter (193-1998, college: UNCG) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 39 points (!!!) and 11 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import swingman Ricardo Artis II (198-1993, college: Wiley) chipped in 17 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists. Artis II is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. The best for the losing side was AlaA Al-Saedi with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and guard Safaa Al-Saedi (171-1994) scored 17 points and 4 steals. 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. Ghaz Al-Shamal maintains eighth place with 7-7 record. Tijarah at the other side keeps the tenth position with 14 games lost.
Top scorers:
Ghaz Al-Shamal: K.Hunter 39+11reb+3ast, R.Artis II 17+16reb+9ast, M.Abdulqader 15+2reb+8ast, M.Nasradin 15+4reb, A.Albasrawi 9+5reb+3ast, T.Hussein 7+2reb+1ast
Tijarah: A.Al-Saedi 20+7reb+5ast, S.Al-Saedi 17+3reb+3ast, A.Al-Ghazali 15+4reb+2ast, R.Baker 11+4reb+2ast, M.Alganahi 7+6reb+3ast, A.Al-Abboodi 6+1reb+2ast