LBL Round 14: Atlas defeat Sagesse in the closest game of the week

Here is the last round review presented by ESL.

The most exciting game of round 14 in the LBL took place in Zahle. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked Sagesse (6-5) to fourth ranked Atlas (7-3) 90-87 on Saturday evening. Forward Marc Abi Kheres (197-94) had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and point guard Joseph Zaloum (180-90) chipped in 20 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals during the contest. Christophe Khalil responded with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds. Atlas moved-up to second place. Sagesse lost third consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with five games lost.
LBL top team - Al Riyadi (10-1) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed tenth ranked Anibal (0-11) in Zahle 124-54. International guard Ali Mansour (185-98, agency: BIG) notched a double-double by scoring 16 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists and 5 steals to lead the effort and Gerard Hadidian supported him with 18 points and 9 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Even 10 points by Andre Tannoury (195-1) did not help to save the game for Anibal. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Al Riyadi have an impressive nine-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 10-1 record. Anibal at the other side still closes the standings with 11 games lost.
The game in Beirut was also quite interesting. 4th ranked Champville (6-4) played at the court of sixth ranked Hoops (7-4). Hoops managed to secure a 4-point victory 71-67 on Thursday. The best player for the winners was Gabriel Salibi who scored 18 points. Hoops' coach used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. Elias Rustom produced 21 points and 7 rebounds for the guests. Hoops moved-up to third place, which they share with Beirut Club. Loser Champville dropped to the fifth position with four games lost.

In the last two games of round 14 Moutahed was destroyed by Beirut Club on the opponent's court 88-68. Homentmen unfortunately lost to Byblos in a home game 63-72.

Beirut Club - Moutahed 88-68

Rather expected game when 7th ranked Moutahed (4-7) was crushed on the road by fifth ranked Beirut Club (7-4) 88-68 on Monday. Beirut Club dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Moutahed's 22. They outrebounded Moutahed 35-20 including 20 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was the former international point guard Rodrigue Akl (187-88) who scored 10 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. International guard Georges El Beyrouty (193-99) chipped in 19 points (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). Four Beirut Club players scored in double figures. Guard Malek Hijazi (190-94, college: West LA) produced 15 points and 4 assists and Ibrahim Haddad (-98) added 16 points respectively for the guests. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Beirut Club moved-up to third place, which they share with Hoops. Loser Moutahed dropped to the eighth position with seven games lost.
Top scorers:
Beirut Club: G.El Beyrouty 19+1reb+1ast, E.Chamoun 16+3ast, M.Ziadeh 11+6reb+1ast, R.Akl 10+7reb+8ast, P.Bou Abboud 9+5reb+1ast, K.Mechref 8+6reb
Moutahed: I.Haddad 16+3reb+2ast, M.Hijazi 15+3reb+4ast, W.Sawan 11+5reb+1ast, A.Ramzi 9+3reb+1ast, O.Tanguy 6+2ast, H.Jad 3

Homentmen - Byblos 63-72

Rather predictable result in Beirut where seventh ranked Byblos (5-6) defeated 9th ranked Homentmen (2-9) 72-63 on Tuesday. Byblos dominated down low during the game scoring 48 of its points in the paint compared to Homentmen's 26. Byblos forced 19 Homentmen turnovers. The best player for the winners was Ziad El Ali who had a double-double by scoring 12 points and 18 rebounds. Guard Karl Assi (187-98, agency: BIG) chipped in 15 points and 5 assists. Guard Bassel Takieddine (-0) produced 8 points and 15 rebounds and Nader Dhainy added 12 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Four Homentmen players scored in double figures. Byblos have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain seventh position with 5-6 record. Loser Homentmen keeps the ninth place with nine games lost.
Top scorers:
Byblos: T.Saker 15+2reb, K.Assi 15+1reb+5ast, A.Ziad El 12+18reb+1ast, S.Mohamad 10+3reb, B.Bechara 9+5reb+2ast, C.Abboud 6+4reb+1ast
Homentmen: B.Omar El 13+3reb+1ast, D.Nader 12+7reb+2ast, K.Jadayel 11+4reb+3ast, Z.Karl 10+1reb+6ast, T.Bassel 8+15reb+2ast, H.Refaat 4+7reb+1ast

Anibal - Al Riyadi 54-124

LBL top team - Al Riyadi (10-1) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed tenth ranked Anibal (0-11) in Zahle 124-54. Al Riyadi dominated down low during the game scoring 72 of its points in the paint compared to Anibal's 22. Al Riyadi forced 25 Anibal turnovers and outrebounded them 45-19 including a 28-11 advantage in defensive rebounds. They shot the lights out from three nailing 14 long-distance shots on high 53.8 percentage. Al Riyadi players were unselfish on offense dishing 39 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Anibal's players. International guard Ali Mansour (185-98, agency: BIG) notched a double-double by scoring 16 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists and 5 steals to lead the effort and the former international forward Gerard Hadidian (201-95, college: Lake Land, agency: BIG) supported him with 18 points and 9 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Five Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. Even 10 points by Andre Tannoury (195-1) did not help to save the game for Anibal. Ghassan Tacca added 6 points and 6 rebounds for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Al Riyadi have an impressive nine-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 10-1 record. Anibal at the other side still closes the standings with 11 games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: M.Mneimneh 22+1reb+3ast, G.Hadidian 18+9reb+1ast, H.Gyokchyan 17+6reb+3ast, A.Mansour 16+5reb+14ast, A.Farhat 15+2reb+4ast, K.Zeinoun 14+6reb+7ast
Anibal: A.Tannoury 10+4reb+1ast, M.Christopher 9+1reb+4ast, S.Bechara 8+1reb+1ast, M.Elie 6+2reb, T.Ghassan 6+6reb+2ast, M.Tarek 5+1reb+3ast

Hoops - Champville 71-67

The game in Beirut was also quite interesting. 4th ranked Champville (6-4) played at the court of sixth ranked Hoops (7-4). Hoops managed to secure a 4-point victory 71-67 on Thursday. Hoops forced 22 Champville turnovers. The best player for the winners was naturalized French guard Gabriel Salibi (203, college: Northeastern St., agency: BIG) who scored 18 points. Guard Georges Choueiry (184-95) chipped in 19 points. Hoops' coach used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. The former international swingman Elias Rustom (197-87) produced 21 points and 7 rebounds and the former international guard Joseph Chartouny (190-94, college: Marquette, agency: BIG) added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists respectively for the guests. Four Champville players scored in double figures. Hoops moved-up to third place, which they share with Beirut Club. Loser Champville dropped to the fifth position with four games lost.
Top scorers:
Hoops: G.Choueiry 19+2reb, G.Salibi 18+4reb+3ast, K.Aoun 10+9reb+2ast, S.Jason 8+4reb+1ast, Y.Ghantous 8+4reb+1ast, N.Hachem 3+8reb
Champville: E.Rustom 21+7reb+1ast, J.Chartouny 15+8reb+6ast, R.Akl 14+4reb+1ast, J.Bitar 11+3reb, K.Ezzeddine 3+6reb+2ast, M.Martinez 3+3reb

Atlas - Sagesse 90-87

The most exciting game of round 14 in the LBL took place in Zahle. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked Sagesse (6-5) to fourth ranked Atlas (7-3) 90-87 on Saturday evening. Forward Marc Abi Kheres (197-94) had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and point guard Joseph Zaloum (180-90) chipped in 20 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals during the contest. Christophe Khalil responded with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds and international point guard Ali Mezher (182-94) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Atlas moved-up to second place. Sagesse lost third consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with five games lost.
Top scorers:
Atlas: M.Abi-Kheres 25+13reb+2ast, E.Helou Hicham 21+6reb+4ast, J.Zaloum 20+6reb+12ast, J.Jarrouge 11+2reb, S.Elias 8+5reb, O.Kaissy 3+6reb+2ast
Sagesse: K.Christophe 26+10reb+1ast, A.Mezher 18+10reb+8ast, H.Mike 13, N.Souaid 12+5reb+3ast, M.Khoueiry 11+8reb+3ast, T.Makhlouf 7+5reb+2ast



Tags : MARC ABI-KHERES, ATLAS FERZOL, LEBANESE BASKETBALL