Premier League Round 5: Al Wihdat lose their first game against Al Ahli

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Al Wihdat (4-1) in Amman on Monday night. Hosts were edged by Al Ahli (4-1) 72-71. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Al Wihdat. It was a key game for the top position in the league. International forward Ahmad Alhamarsheh (197-86) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and American forward Shaquille Thomas (201-92, college: Cincinnati) chipped in 11 points and 9 rebounds. International center Yousef Abuwazaneh (201-93) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 22 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader, which they share with Orthodox and Al Wihdat. Al Ahli is looking forward to face bottom-ranked Al Jalil (#6) in Irbid in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wihdat will play on the road against Kofer Yoba (#4) in Irbid and is hoping to win this game.
Very significant was Kofer Yoba's (#5) just 1-point road victory against 4th placed Al Jubaiha 67-66. American forward James Currington III (201-95, college: SE Louisiana) nailed a double-double by scoring 14 points and 18 rebounds for the winning side and Ibrahim Hamati accounted for 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. The former international Khaled Abuaboud (202-97) came up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals for Al Jubaiha in the defeat. Kofer Yoba (2-3) moved-up to fourth place. Al Jubaiha lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. Kofer Yoba will play against league's leader Al Wihdat in Amman in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Al Jubaiha will play on the road against Orthodox (#3) in Amman and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Second ranked Orthodox blasted bottom-ranked Al Jalil (0-5) in Irbid 92-60 on Monday evening. Al Jalil is still unable to win any game. The best player for the winners was Ibrahima Thomas who had a triple-double by scoring 14 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 blocks. Orthodox's coach Samer Nino felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Mahmoud Mansour produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts. Orthodox have a solid series of three victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Ahli and Al Wihdat. Al Jalil at the other side still closes the standings with five games lost. Orthodox will meet at home Al Jubaiha (#5) in the next round. Al Jalil will play against the league's second-placed Al Ahli in Amman and hopes to get finally their first victory.

Al Jalil - Orthodox 60-92

Second ranked Orthodox blasted bottom-ranked Al Jalil (0-5) in Irbid 92-60 on Monday evening. Al Jalil is still unable to win any game. Orthodox dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Al Jalil's 40. Orthodox forced 22 Al Jalil turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 34 assists comparing to just 20 passes made by Al Jalil's players. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Orthodox made 10 blocks. The best player for the winners was Senegalese forward Ibrahima Thomas (213-87, college: Cincinnati, agency: BIG) who had a triple-double by scoring 14 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 blocks. International guard Amin Abuhawwas (190-94, college: Mars Hill) chipped in 27 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Abuhawwas is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Orthodox's coach Samer Nino felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Power forward Mahmoud Mansour (-87) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds and Nabeel Ishraikh (-0) added 13 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists respectively for the hosts. Orthodox have a solid series of three victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Ahli and Al Wihdat. Al Jalil at the other side still closes the standings with five games lost. Orthodox will meet at home Al Jubaiha (#5) in the next round. Al Jalil will play against the league's second-placed Al Ahli in Amman and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Jalil: M.Mansour 14+10reb+3ast, I.Nabeel 13+5reb+7ast, J.Khaldoun 12+7reb+3ast, A.Shreikh Omar 7+1reb+1ast, A.Suhaib 6+4reb+1ast, S.Laith 4+7reb+1ast
Orthodox: A.Abuhawwas 27+8reb+6ast, I.Thomas 14+17reb+12ast, A.Ahmad 10+3reb+1ast, H.Mahmoud 8+6reb+1ast, K.Zaid 7+4reb+3ast, M.Ishaq 7+1reb+1ast

Al Wihdat - Al Ahli 71-72

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Al Wihdat (4-1) in Amman on Monday night. Hosts were edged by Al Ahli (4-1) 72-71. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Al Wihdat. It was a key game for the top position in the league. International forward Ahmad Alhamarsheh (197-86) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and American forward Shaquille Thomas (201-92, college: Cincinnati) chipped in 11 points and 9 rebounds. International center Yousef Abuwazaneh (201-93) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 22 rebounds and American guard Antoine Mason (191-92, college: Auburn, agency: Interperformances) scored 22 points and 5 assists. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader, which they share with Orthodox and Al Wihdat. Al Ahli is looking forward to face bottom-ranked Al Jalil (#6) in Irbid in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wihdat will play on the road against Kofer Yoba (#4) in Irbid and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Al Wihdat: A.Mason 22+3reb+5ast, M.Abdeen 19+5reb+3ast, Y.Abuwazaneh 13+22reb+1ast, A.Ashraf 8+1ast, M.Hussein 4+5reb+2ast, H.Al-Faraj 3+5reb+2ast
Al Ahli: M.Alawadi 15+2reb, A.Alhamarsheh 11+10reb+4ast, S.Thomas 11+9reb+1ast, J.Al-Dasuqi 8+5reb+1ast, D.Mohmoud 8+1reb+3ast, B.Mitri 6+6reb+3ast

Al Jubaiha - Kofer Yoba 66-67

Very significant was Kofer Yoba's (#5) just 1-point road victory against 4th placed Al Jubaiha 67-66. Kofer Yoba forced 23 Al Jubaiha turnovers. American forward James Currington III (201-95, college: SE Louisiana) nailed a double-double by scoring 14 points and 18 rebounds for the winning side and the former international Ibrahim Hamati (187-96) accounted for 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. The former international Khaled Abuaboud (202-97) came up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals and the former international swingman Nader Suleiman (187-92) added 8 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists respectively for Al Jubaiha in the defeat. Four Al Jubaiha players scored in double figures. Kofer Yoba (2-3) moved-up to fourth place. Al Jubaiha lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. Kofer Yoba will play against league's leader Al Wihdat in Amman in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Al Jubaiha will play on the road against Orthodox (#3) in Amman and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Jubaiha: K.Abuaboud 18+12reb+4ast, G.Magee 12+11reb+1ast, A.Shmali Mohammad 12+4reb+2ast, K.Mohammad 11+4reb+6ast, S.Nader 8+9reb+9ast, A.Mohammad 3
Kofer Yoba: M.Al-Ghazawi 18+3reb+3ast, I.Hamati 15+6reb+5ast, J.Currington III 14+18reb, M.Maff 7+9reb+3ast, D.Adham 5+1reb+3ast, K.Sanad 4+1reb+1ast



Tags : AHMAD ALHAMARSHEH, AL AHLI AMMAN, JORDANIAN BASKETBALL