LBL Round 23: No surprise as #1 Al Riyadi defeat Byblos

The teams have now bigger motivation at this stage of Regular Season. Every game can be crucial and decide about teams' position at the end of Regular Season. Here is the last round review presented by ESL.

LBL top team - Al Riyadi (14-1) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed seventh ranked Byblos (7-8) 98-59. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Byblos. Al Riyadi forced 28 Byblos turnovers and outrebounded them 37-21 including 25 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 33 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Byblos' players. It was a great evening for forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-90, college: F&M, agency: BIG) who led his team to a victory scoring 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Swingman Mark Khoury (196-98) helped adding 21 points and 7 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). Mohamad Skaf responded with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Byblos' coach gave up on the game allowing to play eleven players seeing no chance for a win. Al Riyadi have an impressive series of thirteen victories in a row. They maintain first place with 14-1 record. Byblos at the other side keep the seventh position with eight games lost. Al Riyadi's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Homentmen.
Bottom-ranked Anibal (0-16) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 16th consecutive match to fourth ranked Atlas (10-5) 94-57. It was an exceptional evening for forward Marc Abi-Kheres (197-94) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 21 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Joseph Zaloum accounted for 15 points, 12 rebounds and 21 assists. Christopher Maalouf came up with 22 points and 7 rebounds for Anibal in the defeat. Atlas maintains fourth place with 10-5 record. Anibal lost their sixteenth game in a row. They still close the standings. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
The game in Tripoli supposed to be also quite interesting. Third ranked Champville (10-4) played at the court of 8th ranked Moutahed (5-11). Champville smashed Moutahed 118-56 on Thursday. The best player for the winners was Joseph Chartouny who had a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Ibrahim Haddad produced 23 points and 7 rebounds for the hosts. Moutahed's coach already knew that his team would not have a big chance, so allowed to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Champville. They maintain third place with 10-4 record having five points less than leader Al Riyadi. Moutahed lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the eighth position with 11 games lost. Champville will meet at home Byblos (#7) in the next round. Moutahed will have a break next round.

In the last game of round 23 Moutahed lost to Sagesse on the opponent's court 56-71.

Moutahed - Champville 56-118

The game in Tripoli supposed to be also quite interesting. Third ranked Champville (10-4) played at the court of 8th ranked Moutahed (5-11). Champville smashed Moutahed 118-56 on Thursday. Champville dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Moutahed's 26. Champville forced 30 Moutahed turnovers and outrebounded them 38-26 including 26 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 31 assists comparing to just 6 passes made by Moutahed's players. The best player for the winners was the former international guard Joseph Chartouny (190-94, college: Marquette, agency: BIG) who had a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 11 rebounds and 4 assists. International Aziz Abdel Massih (192-96) chipped in 33 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds. Four Champville players scored in double figures. Ibrahim Haddad (-98) produced 23 points and 7 rebounds and Hassan Zakaria added 17 points respectively for the hosts. Moutahed's coach already knew that his team would not have a big chance, so allowed to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Champville. They maintain third place with 10-4 record having five points less than leader Al Riyadi. Moutahed lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the eighth position with 11 games lost. Champville will meet at home Byblos (#7) in the next round. Moutahed will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Champville: A.Abdel Massih 33+5reb+2ast, J.Chartouny 33+11reb+4ast, J.Bitar 22+10reb+3ast, S.El Darwich 20+1reb+9ast, D.Peter 4+2reb, R.Akl 3+2reb+4ast
Moutahed: I.Haddad 23+7reb+2ast, Z.Hassan 17+2reb, B.Abdel 7+2ast, W.Sawan 3+3reb, B.Omar 2+4reb, G.Elio 2+5reb+2ast

Byblos - Al Riyadi 59-98

LBL top team - Al Riyadi (14-1) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed seventh ranked Byblos (7-8) 98-59. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Byblos. Al Riyadi forced 28 Byblos turnovers and outrebounded them 37-21 including 25 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 33 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Byblos' players. It was a great evening for forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-90, college: F&M, agency: BIG) who led his team to a victory scoring 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Swingman Mark Khoury (196-98) helped adding 21 points and 7 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). Four Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. Mohamad Skaf responded with 17 points and 9 rebounds and Bechara Boustany scored 23 points. Byblos' coach gave up on the game allowing to play eleven players seeing no chance for a win. Al Riyadi have an impressive series of thirteen victories in a row. They maintain first place with 14-1 record. Byblos at the other side keep the seventh position with eight games lost. Al Riyadi's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Homentmen.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: M.Khoury 21+7reb+1ast, H.Gyokchyan 20+8reb+4ast, A.Farhat 12+3reb+5ast, K.Zeinoun 11+3reb+7ast, A.Mansour 11+2reb+7ast, M.Mneimneh 9+1reb
Byblos: B.Bechara 23+1reb+1ast, S.Mohamad 17+9reb, T.Saker 7+1ast, C.Abboud 6+1reb, M.Abdo 2+1reb, K.Assi 2+5ast

Sagesse - Moutahed 71-56

Very expected game in Beirut where 8th ranked Moutahed (5-11) was defeated by third ranked Sagesse (11-5) 71-56 on Sunday. Sagesse made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was international point guard Ali Mezher (182-94) who scored 23 points and 7 rebounds. Christophe Khalil chipped in a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds. Sagesse's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Ibrahim Haddad (-98) produced a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds and forward William Sawan (201-98, agency: BIG) added 8 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for the guests. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Sagesse. They moved-up to second place. Moutahed lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the eighth position with 11 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Sagesse: A.Mezher 23+7reb+3ast, K.Christophe 20+11reb, N.Souaid 8+7reb+3ast, M.Khoueiry 7+6reb+3ast, T.Makhlouf 7+4reb+1ast, S.Michel 6+5reb+1ast
Moutahed: I.Haddad 22+12reb+1ast, M.Hijazi 11+9reb+3ast, W.Sawan 8+14reb+5ast, Z.Hassan 5+1reb+1ast, B.Omar 4+1reb, G.Elio 4+1ast

Atlas - Anibal 94-57

Bottom-ranked Anibal (0-16) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 16th consecutive match to fourth ranked Atlas (10-5) 94-57. Atlas dominated down low during the game scoring 76 of its points in the paint compared to Anibal's 26. Atlas forced 25 Anibal turnovers and outrebounded them 54-25 including a 23-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 31 assists comparing to just 9 passes made by Anibal's players. It was an exceptional evening for forward Marc Abi-Kheres (197-94) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 21 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Point guard Joseph Zaloum (180-90) accounted for 15 points, 12 rebounds and 21 assists for the winning side. Four Atlas players scored in double figures. Christopher Maalouf came up with 22 points and 7 rebounds and Andre Tannoury (195-1) added 4 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Anibal in the defeat. Atlas maintains fourth place with 10-5 record. Anibal lost their sixteenth game in a row. They still close the standings. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Atlas: M.Abi-Kheres 33+21reb+5ast, J.Zaloum 15+12reb+21ast, J.Jarrouge 15+4reb+1ast, S.Elias 12+10reb+1ast, R.Dib 7+1reb+1ast, D.Mohammad 6+3reb+1ast
Anibal: M.Christopher 22+7reb+2ast, B.Sebastien 9, M.Elie 9, H.Georges 7+2reb+1ast, A.Tannoury 4+6reb+2ast, A.Nicolas 4+5reb+2ast



Tags : HAYK GYOKCHYAN, SPORTING AL RIYADI BEIRUT, LEBANESE BASKETBALL