Premier League Round 18 (Regular Season): Rum defeats leader Geresa

The games at this stage are more interesting as they can be crucial for the final standings in Regular Season. Despite we already know who is stronger and who is weaker, there may be still last minute surprises and upsets. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked Geresa (13-3) on the court of third ranked Rum on Tuesday night. Visitors were rolled over by Rum 96-65. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Geresa. They outrebounded Geresa 56-40 including a 39-25 advantage in defensive rebounds. Rum looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Geresa's players. It was a good game for international forward Hashem Abbas (198-1999, college: Bridgeport) who led his team to a victory with a triple-double by scoring 21 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Forward Mohammad Nasereddin (196, college: Wheaton, MA) contributed with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. American point guard Byron Maxwell (175-1993, college: LeMoyne-Owen) replied with 27 points and 7 rebounds for Geresa. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Rum (10-6) have an impressive seven-game winning streak. Newly promoted Rum maintains third position having just three points less than leader Geresa, which they share with Petra. Geresa at the other side, also newcomer in the league, still keeps top place with three games lost. Rum is looking forward to face Arabella (#6) in the next round. Geresa will play against Pella (#5) and is hoping to win this game.
Another interesting game for Geresa (13-3) which played on the court of Philadelphia (12-4). First ranked Geresa won 75-67. It was a key game for the top position in the league. American point guard Byron Maxwell (175-1993, college: LeMoyne-Owen) scored 29 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Ahmad Alhamarsheh chipped in 8 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was Croatian power forward Josip Mikulic (215-1993, college: Fairfield, agency: Interperformances) with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Geresa have an impressive five-game winning streak. Newly promoted Geresa maintains first position with 13-3 record. Philadelphia at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the second place with four games lost. Geresa will play against Pella (#5) in the next round. Philadelphia will play against Petra and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
A very close game took place in between Rum and Pella. Third ranked Rum (10-6) got a very close victory on the road over 5th ranked Pella (6-10). Rum managed to escape with a 1-point win 77-76 on Thursday evening. Hashem Abbas notched a double-double by scoring 19 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the effort. Even a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds by Mohammad Shaher did not help to save the game for Pella. Rum have an impressive seven-game winning streak. Newly promoted Rum maintains third position with 10-6 record having just three points less than leader Geresa, which they share with Petra. Pella at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the fifth place with ten games lost. Rum will meet at home Arabella (#6) in the next round. Pella will play against the league's leader Geresa and hope to secure a win.

In the last two games of round 18 Petra was smashed by Pella on the road 106-57. Arabella won against Petra on its own court 97-79.
The most impressive performance of 18th round was 38 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 5 assists by Emmanuel Egbuta of Arabella.



Rum - Geresa 96-65

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked Geresa (13-3) on the court of third ranked Rum on Tuesday night. Visitors were rolled over by Rum 96-65. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Geresa. They outrebounded Geresa 56-40 including a 39-25 advantage in defensive rebounds. Rum looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Geresa's players. It was a good game for international forward Hashem Abbas (198-1999, college: Bridgeport) who led his team to a victory with a triple-double by scoring 21 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Forward Mohammad Nasereddin (196, college: Wheaton, MA) contributed with a double-double by scoring 13 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Four Rum players scored in double figures. American point guard Byron Maxwell (175-1993, college: LeMoyne-Owen) replied with 27 points and 7 rebounds and Ahmad Alhamarsheh added 8 points and 11 rebounds in the effort for Geresa. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Rum (10-6) have an impressive seven-game winning streak. Newly promoted Rum maintains third position having just three points less than leader Geresa, which they share with Petra. Geresa at the other side, also newcomer in the league, still keeps top place with three games lost. Rum is looking forward to face Arabella (#6) in the next round. Geresa will play against Pella (#5) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Rum: H.Abbas 21+16reb+10ast, H.Strait 21+2reb+5ast, A.Zoubi 15+5reb+1ast, M.Nasereddin 13+10reb+6ast, M.Hazaymeh 12+3reb, A.Alhendi 5+3reb
Geresa: B.Maxwell 27+7reb+2ast, A.Alhamarsheh 8+11reb+3ast, A.Dajani 7+3reb+1ast, A.Al Shiyab 6+1reb+2ast, Y.Al Taweel 6+6reb+2ast, M.Tarjali 4+3reb

Pella - Petra 106-57

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams when fifth ranked Pella (6-10) crushed at home 4th ranked Petra (10-6) 106-57 on Tuesday. Pella outrebounded Petra 47-33 including a 37-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. Pella shot the lights out from three sinking 20 long-distance shots on high 51.3 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 33 assists comparing to just 14 passes made by Petra's players. International swingman Ahmad Hammouri (194-2003) notched 41 points (!!!) and 5 assists to lead the effort and American power forward Devin Gilmore (200-1997, college: Murray St.) supported him with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Four Pella players scored in double figures. Even 19 points and 8 rebounds by American power forward Gregoryshon Magee (211-1990, college: USA) did not help to save the game for Petra. The former international Khaled Abuaboud (202-1997) added 8 points and 5 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Newly promoted Pella maintains fifth position with 6-10 record. Petra at the other side, also newcomer in the league, dropped to the third place with six games lost. They share the position with Rum. Pella will meet league's leader Geresa in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Petra will play against the league's second-placed Philadelphia and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Pella: A.Hammouri 41+3reb+5ast, D.Gilmore 21+14reb+6ast, M.Shaher 16+11reb+5ast, A.Hassouneh 12+5reb+4ast, N.Katkhuda 6+3reb+2ast, Y.Awamleh 3+1reb+2ast
Petra: G.Magee 19+8reb+1ast, K.Abuaboud 8+5reb+3ast, B.Abu Abood 8+6reb, D.Haye 7+4reb+3ast, E.Eid 7+2ast, A.Bostami 4+7reb+2ast

Pella - Rum 76-77

A very close game took place in between Rum and Pella. Third ranked Rum (10-6) got a very close victory on the road over 5th ranked Pella (6-10). Rum managed to escape with a 1-point win 77-76 on Thursday evening. International forward Hashem Abbas (198-1999, college: Bridgeport) notched a double-double by scoring 19 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the effort and American guard Hunter Strait (188-2000, college: Truman St.) supported him with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Four Rum players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds by Mohammad Shaher did not help to save the game for Pella. American power forward Devin Gilmore (200-1997, college: Murray St.) added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Rum have an impressive seven-game winning streak. Newly promoted Rum maintains third position with 10-6 record having just three points less than leader Geresa, which they share with Petra. Pella at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the fifth place with ten games lost. Rum will meet at home Arabella (#6) in the next round. Pella will play against the league's leader Geresa and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Rum: H.Abbas 19+16reb+7ast, H.Strait 19+7reb+3ast, K.Thaher 17+3reb, A.Alhendi 10+1reb+1ast, M.Nasereddin 8+13reb+1ast, M.Hazaymeh 4+4reb+1ast
Pella: M.Shaher 22+11reb+1ast, D.Gilmore 15+12reb+2ast, Y.Awamleh 12+4reb, A.Hammouri 11+6reb+5ast, A.Hassouneh 8+7reb+5ast, N.Abu Shreikh 8+6reb+7ast

Philadelphia - Geresa 67-75

Another interesting game for Geresa (13-3) which played on the court of Philadelphia (12-4). First ranked Geresa won 75-67. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Geresa outrebounded Philadelphia 50-37 including 17 on the offensive glass. Geresa players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. American point guard Byron Maxwell (175-1993, college: LeMoyne-Owen) scored 29 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Ahmad Alhamarsheh chipped in 8 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists during the contest. Maxwell is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. The best for the losing side was Croatian power forward Josip Mikulic (215-1993, college: Fairfield, agency: Interperformances) with 23 points and 9 rebounds and the former international point guard Fadi Qarmash (180-2002) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Geresa have an impressive five-game winning streak. Newly promoted Geresa maintains first position with 13-3 record. Philadelphia at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the second place with four games lost. Geresa will play against Pella (#5) in the next round. Philadelphia will play against Petra and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Geresa: B.Maxwell 29+9reb+4ast, Y.Al Taweel 16+5reb, A.Al Shiyab 10+3ast, Y.Abuwazaneh 10+10reb+3ast, A.Alhamarsheh 8+16reb+7ast, A.Kanaan 2+3reb+2ast
Philadelphia: J.Mikulic 23+9reb+2ast, M.Kanaan 13+3reb+3ast, F.Qarmash 12+5reb+11ast, S.Abusalem 11+3reb, G.Faraj 4+12reb+1ast, O.Abu Shreikh 2+1reb

Arabella - Petra 97-79

There was a minor upset when 4th ranked Petra (10-6) lost on the road to sixth ranked Arabella (5-11) 97-79 on Thursday. Arabella forced 22 Petra turnovers. It was a great shooting night for Arabella especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.4 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. American forward Emmanuel Egbuta (201-1996, college: Tennessee St.) notched 38 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the effort and Dmonta Harris supported him with 31 points and 6 rebounds. Arabella's coach used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Even a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds by American power forward Gregoryshon Magee (211-1990, college: USA) did not help to save the game for Petra. Point guard Ammar Bostami (180-1991) added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Five Petra players scored in double figures. Newly promoted Arabella maintains sixth position with 5-11 record. Petra at the other side, also newcomer in the league, dropped to the third place with six games lost. They share the position with Rum. Arabella will meet higher ranked Rum (#3) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Petra will play against the league's second-placed Philadelphia and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Arabella: E.Egbuta 38+8reb+5ast, D.Harris 31+6reb+3ast, N.Anzour 11+3reb+6ast, I.Al-Naser 5+4reb+3ast, Y.Shatat 4+7reb+7ast, A.Shureiqi 4+1reb+1ast
Petra: G.Magee 22+14reb+1ast, A.Bostami 15+7reb+5ast, K.Abuaboud 14+10reb+2ast, E.Eid 12+6ast, D.Haye 11+3reb+2ast, M.AlShamali 5+2reb+4ast