National League Round 18 (Regular Season): Tobol lose to Barsy Atyrau

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Round 18 most important game was a defeat of league's leader Tobol (18-6). They were crushed by fourth ranked Barsy Atyrau (14-10) 108-79 on Sunday night. Barsy Atyrau dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Tobol's 32 and made 19-of-24 free shots (79.2 percent) during the game. Barsy Atyrau had a 30-17 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 37 assists. American guard Aamer Muhammad (185-2001, college: Troy) scored 31 points and 9 assists (on 12-of-15 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and the former international forward Ramazan Samsin (200-2002) chipped in 20 points and 12 rebounds during the contest. Barsy Atyrau's coach Alexandr Lyssyak felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was American forward Demonte Flannigan (201-1995, college: CSU) with a double-double by scoring 21 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Barsy Atyrau maintains fourth position with 14-10 record. Tobol at the other side dropped to the second place with six games lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by Irbis.
The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Irbis as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Irbis defeated 4th ranked Almaty L. at home 88-70. American guard Alphonso Willis (188-1998, college: A&M-Commerce, agency: Highlight Athletes) notched a double-double by scoring 14 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists to lead the effort and Nikolay Bazhin supported him with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Even 22 points and 8 rebounds (on 9-of-10 shooting from the field) by Uzbekistani center Dmitry Sviridov (212-1985) did not help to save the game for Almaty L.. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Irbis have a solid four-game winning streak. As mentioned above they took over a top position. Almaty L. at the other side dropped to the third place with seven games lost. Almaty L. will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. Irbis will try to continue on its current victory against third ranked Almaty L.. It will be extra interesting game as Almaty L. is their local rival from Almaty.
Seventh-ranked Irtysh (5-21) gave a tough game to fifth ranked Caspiy Aktau (12-14) on Saturday. Caspiy Aktau managed to secure only three-point victory 82-79. However their fans expected easier game. The best player for the winners was Maxim Marchuk who had a triple-double by scoring 17 points, 22 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals. At the other side the best for losing team was Nazim Adylbekov who recorded a double-double by scoring 25 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks. Irtysh's coach Branislav Gregoric rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Caspiy Aktau maintains fifth position with 12-14 record. Loser Irtysh keeps the seventh place with 21 games lost. Caspiy Aktau will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Irtysh will play against Astana Ac. (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

In the last two games of round 18 Tobol won against Barsy Atyrau on the opponent's court 84-75. Caspiy Aktau outscored Irtysh in a home game 96-75.



Barsy Atyrau - Tobol 75-84

Rather expected game when 4th ranked Barsy Atyrau (14-10) was defeated at home by first ranked Tobol (18-6) 84-75 on Saturday. Tobol outrebounded Barsy Atyrau 41-26 including a 31-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. Tobol looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international forward Anton Bykov (200-1989) who had a double-double by scoring 20 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. American forward Demonte Flannigan (201-1995, college: CSU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds. Four Tobol players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Aamer Muhammad (185-2001, college: Troy) who recorded 39 points (!!!), 7 assists and 5 steals (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line) and forward Abat Marat (180-2005) added 12 points respectively. Barsy Atyrau's coach Alexandr Lyssyak rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Despite that victory Tobol went down to second position due to points difference. Loser Barsy Atyrau keeps the fourth place with ten games lost.
Top scorers:
Tobol: A.Bykov 20+11reb+4ast, K.Dvirnyi 14+1reb+5ast, V.Petrishinets 14+6reb+2ast, D.Flannigan 13+10reb+3ast, P.Ilyin 9+3reb+4ast, S.Kuanov 8+9reb+6ast
Barsy Atyrau: A.Muhammad 39+3reb+7ast, A.Marat 12+4reb+3ast, M.Uapov 6+2reb+3ast, K.Charleston 6+4reb+2ast, R.Samsin 4+5reb, A.Ridley III 4+4reb+2ast

Caspiy Aktau - Irtysh 82-79

Seventh-ranked Irtysh (5-21) gave a tough game to fifth ranked Caspiy Aktau (12-14) on Saturday. Caspiy Aktau managed to secure only three-point victory 82-79. However their fans expected easier game. Caspiy Aktau looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international guard Maxim Marchuk (195-1994) who had a triple-double by scoring 17 points, 22 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals. American point guard Cameron Campbell (193, college: WSSU) chipped in 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was forward Nazim Adylbekov (200-2001) who recorded a double-double by scoring 25 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks and guard Ali Isagulov (186-2004) added 15 points and 6 rebounds respectively. Five Caspiy Aktau and four Irtysh players scored in double figures. Irtysh's coach Branislav Gregoric rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Caspiy Aktau maintains fifth position with 12-14 record. Loser Irtysh keeps the seventh place with 21 games lost. Caspiy Aktau will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Irtysh will play against Astana Ac. (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Caspiy Aktau: C.Campbell 22+6reb+5ast, M.Marchuk 17+22reb+12ast, R.Marchuk 17+8reb, A.Narimanov 11+6reb+2ast, K.Neff 10+1reb+3ast, A.Rolgeyzer 5+1reb+5ast
Irtysh: N.Adylbekov 25+20reb+6ast, M.Shamuratov 16+1reb+1ast, A.Isagulov 15+6reb+3ast, V.Bagrov 14+2reb+2ast, Z.Clark 7+9reb+3ast, M.Berikov 2+1reb+1ast

Barsy Atyrau - Tobol 108-79

Round 18 most important game was a defeat of league's leader Tobol (18-6). They were crushed by fourth ranked Barsy Atyrau (14-10) 108-79 on Sunday night. Barsy Atyrau dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Tobol's 32 and made 19-of-24 free shots (79.2 percent) during the game. Barsy Atyrau had a 30-17 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 37 assists. American guard Aamer Muhammad (185-2001, college: Troy) scored 31 points and 9 assists (on 12-of-15 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and the former international forward Ramazan Samsin (200-2002) chipped in 20 points and 12 rebounds during the contest. Five Barsy Atyrau players scored in double figures. Barsy Atyrau's coach Alexandr Lyssyak felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was American forward Demonte Flannigan (201-1995, college: CSU) with a double-double by scoring 21 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists and the former international point guard Shaim Kuanov (181-1991) scored 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Barsy Atyrau maintains fourth position with 14-10 record. Tobol at the other side dropped to the second place with six games lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by Irbis.
Top scorers:
Barsy Atyrau: A.Muhammad 31+3reb+9ast, R.Samsin 20+12reb+2ast, A.Marat 14+9ast, A.Omarov 13+2reb+1ast, A.Ridley III 12+8reb+1ast, A.Ermakov 11+2reb+4ast
Tobol: D.Flannigan 21+11reb+6ast, A.Bykov 11+3reb+1ast, S.Kuanov 9+6reb+4ast, K.Dvirnyi 9+4ast, V.Petrishinets 8+1reb+1ast, A.Bitenov 7+1ast

Caspiy Aktau - Irtysh 96-75

Rather predictable result when fifth ranked Caspiy Aktau (12-14) smashed at home 7th ranked Irtysh (5-21) 96-75 on Sunday. Caspiy Aktau forced 20 Irtysh turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 33 assists. The best player for the winners was American point guard Cameron Campbell (193, college: WSSU) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points, 13 assists and 4 steals. The former international forward Roman Marchuk (198-1993) chipped in 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Four Caspiy Aktau players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was Vadim Bagrov (187-2000) who recorded 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and American point guard Ziven Clark (183, college: King) added 17 points and 5 steals respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Caspiy Aktau maintains fifth position with 12-14 record. Loser Irtysh keeps the seventh place with 21 games lost. Caspiy Aktau will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Irtysh will play against Astana Ac. (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Caspiy Aktau: C.Campbell 18+2reb+13ast, R.Marchuk 16+6reb+6ast, K.Neff 16+1reb+1ast, L.Marshall 15+8reb+1ast, M.Marchuk 7+6reb+6ast, Z.Dzhakauov 6+1reb+4ast
Irtysh: Z.Clark 17+2ast, M.Shamuratov 13+1reb+2ast, V.Bagrov 11+6reb+5ast, A.Yurkov 7+6reb+1ast, I.Onishchenko 7+5reb+1ast, A.Tulebayev 6+3reb+4ast

Irbis - Almaty L. 88-70

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Irbis as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Irbis defeated 4th ranked Almaty L. at home 88-70. Irbis outrebounded Almaty L. 40-29 including a 34-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. Irbis players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. American guard Alphonso Willis (188-1998, college: A&M-Commerce, agency: Highlight Athletes) notched a double-double by scoring 14 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists to lead the effort and the former international forward Nikolay Bazhin (198-1990) supported him with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Four Irbis players scored in double figures. Even 22 points and 8 rebounds (on 9-of-10 shooting from the field) by Uzbekistani center Dmitry Sviridov (212-1985) did not help to save the game for Almaty L.. The former international center Daniel Albrant (205-1998) added 13 points. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Irbis have a solid four-game winning streak. As mentioned above they took over a top position. Almaty L. at the other side dropped to the third place with seven games lost. Almaty L. will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. Irbis will try to continue on its current victory against third ranked Almaty L.. It will be extra interesting game as Almaty L. is their local rival from Almaty.
Top scorers:
Irbis: A.Zhigulin 19+4reb, N.Bazhin 17+5reb+3ast, A.Willis 14+12reb+8ast, M.Douglas 14+4reb, I.Konysov 8+1reb+3ast, A.Alyonushka 5+2reb
Almaty L.: D.Sviridov 22+8reb+1ast, D.Albrant 13+1reb, S.Sakhipov 11+3reb, D.Severgin 8+2reb+1ast, N.Fedchenko 5+3reb+1ast, K.Tabb 4+2reb+5ast