LBL Round 8: Beirut Club is defeated by Al Riyadi

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Beirut Club (5-1) on the court of second ranked Al Riyadi on Thursday night. Visitors were defeated by Al Riyadi 99-93. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Beirut Club. Al Riyadi made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Beirut Club 45-32 including a 32-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international guard Amir Saoud (186-91) who helped to win the game recording 38 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds (on 13-of-17 shooting from the field) and the former international swingman Jean Abdel Nour (198-83) who added 19 points and 14 rebounds during the contest. International forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-90, college: F&M) responded with a double-double by scoring 37 points (!!!) and 11 rebounds. Al Riyadi have a solid four-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains second position with 5-1 record having just three points less than leader Dynamo, which they share with defeated Beirut Club. Al Riyadi will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Beirut Club will play on the road against Atlas in Zahle and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Important game to mention about took place in Beirut. Third ranked Beirut Club (5-1) saved a 2-point derby victory at home edging one of their biggest challengers Sagesse (4-2) 79-77 on Sunday evening. The winners were led by international forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-90, college: F&M) who scored that evening 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Sergio El Darwich supported him with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Even a double-double of 13 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists by international point guard Ali Mezher (182-94) did not help to save the game for Sagesse. Beirut Club have a solid three-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Al Riyadi. Sagesse at the other side keeps the fourth position with two games lost. They share it with Champville. Beirut Club will play against Atlas (#8) in Zahle in the next round where they are favorite. Sagesse will play at home against Champville (#4) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Homentmen has finally registered their first victory this season after six consecutive losses. The win is especially important as it came on the road game in Byblos, where they defeated Byblos (1-7) 102-95 on Wednesday. The best player for the winners was Karim Jadayel who scored 30 points and 5 rebounds. Mohamed Skaf produced a double-double by scoring 22 points, 21 rebounds and 4 blocks for the hosts. It was the only win of guest team this round and in all other games host teams recorded victories. Homentmen (1-6) left bottom position moving up to ninth place. It was Byblos' fourth loss in a row. They dropped to the tenth position with seven games lost. Homentmen's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Dynamo.

In the last game of round 8 Atlas lost to Hoops on the opponent's court 62-72.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 20 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists by Bassel Harfouch of Atlas.

Beirut Club - Sagesse 79-77

Important game to mention about took place in Beirut. Third ranked Beirut Club (5-1) saved a 2-point derby victory at home edging one of their biggest challengers Sagesse (4-2) 79-77 on Sunday evening. The winners were led by international forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-90, college: F&M) who scored that evening 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and international guard Sergio El Darwich (193-96, college: Maine) supported him with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Five Beirut Club players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 13 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists by international point guard Ali Mezher (182-94) did not help to save the game for Sagesse. International Christophe Khalil added 19 points and 8 rebounds for the guests. Beirut Club have a solid three-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Al Riyadi. Sagesse at the other side keeps the fourth position with two games lost. They share it with Champville. Beirut Club will play against Atlas (#8) in Zahle in the next round where they are favorite. Sagesse will play at home against Champville (#4) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Beirut Club: H.Gyokchyan 23+7reb+5ast, S.El Darwich 16+9reb+7ast, E.Chamoun 15+7reb+2ast, G.Hadidian 14+6reb, R.Akl 11+8reb+3ast, K.Karl 0
Sagesse: K.Christophe 19+8reb+1ast, J.Bitar 18+7reb+2ast, A.Mezher 13+5reb+11ast, M.Rudy 9+7reb+1ast, G.El Beyrouty 9+4reb+4ast, A.Abdel Massih 7+5reb+3ast

Byblos - Homentmen 95-102

Homentmen has finally registered their first victory this season after six consecutive losses. The win is especially important as it came on the road game in Byblos, where they defeated Byblos (1-7) 102-95 on Wednesday. The best player for the winners was forward Karim Jadayel (191-92) who scored 30 points and 5 rebounds. Daniel Baghdadian chipped in a double-double by scoring 24 points and 11 rebounds. Mohamed Skaf produced a double-double by scoring 22 points, 21 rebounds and 4 blocks and forward Toufic Sakr (182-99) added 35 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. It was the only win of guest team this round and in all other games host teams recorded victories. Homentmen (1-6) left bottom position moving up to ninth place. It was Byblos' fourth loss in a row. They dropped to the tenth position with seven games lost. Homentmen's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Dynamo.
Top scorers:
Homentmen: K.Jadayel 30+5reb+3ast, D.Baghdadian 24+11reb+2ast, Z.Karl 15+13reb+7ast, S.Elios 14+6reb+2ast, G.Elio 11+4reb+1ast, D.Nader 8+4reb+5ast
Byblos: T.Sakr 35+5reb+2ast, S.Mohamed 22+21reb+2ast, B.Bechara 15+3reb+8ast, S.Georges 13+7reb, S.Joey 8+4reb+7ast, T.Bassel 2+4reb

Al Riyadi - Beirut Club 99-93

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Beirut Club (5-1) on the court of second ranked Al Riyadi on Thursday night. Visitors were defeated by Al Riyadi 99-93. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Beirut Club. Al Riyadi made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Beirut Club 45-32 including a 32-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international guard Amir Saoud (186-91) who helped to win the game recording 38 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds (on 13-of-17 shooting from the field) and the former international swingman Jean Abdel Nour (198-83) who added 19 points and 14 rebounds during the contest. Four Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. International forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-90, college: F&M) responded with a double-double by scoring 37 points (!!!) and 11 rebounds and the former international forward Gerard Hadidian (201-95, college: Lake Land) scored 22 points and 9 rebounds. Al Riyadi have a solid four-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains second position with 5-1 record having just three points less than leader Dynamo, which they share with defeated Beirut Club. Al Riyadi will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Beirut Club will play on the road against Atlas in Zahle and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: A.Saoud 38+5reb+3ast, J.Abdel Nour 19+14reb+3ast, M.Alkhoury 15+11reb+1ast, A.Mansour 15+5reb+5ast, J.Aby Khers 5+2reb+2ast, K.Zeinoun 5+2reb+4ast
Beirut Club: H.Gyokchyan 37+11reb+2ast, G.Hadidian 22+9reb+1ast, S.El Darwich 19+2reb+3ast, E.Chamoun 8+2reb+5ast, N.Souaid 4+2reb+2ast, R.Akl 3+5reb+6ast

Hoops - Atlas 72-62

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 8th ranked Atlas' (2-5) road loss to seventh ranked Hoops (4-3) 62-72 on Thursday. Hoops dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Atlas' 24. They outrebounded Atlas 45-33 including 32 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was international Habib Abdallah who scored 22 points and 7 rebounds. The former international swingman Khalil Aoun (195-90) chipped in a double-double by scoring 12 points and 17 rebounds. Four Hoops players scored in double figures. The former international guard Bassel Harfouch (193-93, college: Alcorn St.) produced a double-double by scoring 20 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists and Joel Abdallah added 12 points respectively for the guests. Hoops moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Antranik. Atlas lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the eighth position with five games lost. Hoops' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut .
Top scorers:
Hoops: H.Abdallah 22+7reb+2ast, G.Choueiry 15+2reb+3ast, K.Aoun 12+17reb+1ast, J.Zaloum 10+7reb+8ast, S.Jason 7+6reb+4ast, F.Georges 6+3reb
Atlas: B.Harfouch 20+16reb+6ast, A.Joel 12+3reb+1ast, A.Sbeity 10+2reb, R.Dib 8+1ast, L.Leonel 6+3reb, C.Kodsi 3+1reb+2ast



Tags : AMIR SAOUD, SPORTING AL RIYADI BEIRUT, LEBANESE BASKETBALL