LBL Round 5: Sagesse defeat Dynamo

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Dynamo (3-1) in Beirut on Sunday night. Visitors were defeated by Sagesse (4-0) 78-66. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Dynamo. It was a key game for the top position in the league. American power forward Cliff Alexander (203-1995, college: Kansas, agency: MSG) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 16 rebounds. His fellow American import Kerwin Roach II (192-1996, college: Texas) contributed with 20 points and 4 assists for the winners. American guard Zach Lofton (193-1992, college: NM State, agency: Slash Sports) answered with 22 points for Dynamo. Sagesse have a solid series of four victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Riyadi and Beirut Club. Dynamo at the other side dropped to the fourth place with one game lost. Sagesse is looking forward to face NSA (#6) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Dynamo's supporters also look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Al Riyadi.
Hoops' fans can celebrate the first win of their team after three consecutive losses. They used home court advantage to defeat Liders (1-3) 65-60. American power forward Julian Scott (203-1990, college: ASU) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 16 rebounds for the winners and Chris Washburn chipped in 13 points and 4 assists. Guard Youssef Ghantous (191-1996) responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds. Hoops left bottom position moving up to eighth place, which they share with Antranik and Liders. It was Liders' third loss in a row. Hoops' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Homentmen.
LBL top team - Al Riyadi (4-0) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed fifth ranked Champville (2-2) in Dik El Mehdi 104-69. Michael Qualls nailed 26 points for the winning side. Jimmy Salem came up with 20 points for Champville in the defeat. 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 a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain first place with 4-0 record, which they share with Beirut Club and Sagesse. Loser Champville keeps the fifth position with two games lost. They share it with Atlas and NSA. 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 Dynamo.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 5: Beirut Club smashed Homentmen on the road 106-82. Atlas won against Byblos on its own court 86-76. Antranik were outscored by NSA in a road game 85-56.

Homentmen - Beirut Club 82-106

No shocking result in a game when leader Beirut Club (4-0) crushed on the road bottom-ranked Homentmen (0-4) 106-82 on Tuesday. Beirut Club had a 35-21 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 31 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Homentmen's players. The former international guard Omar Jamaleddine (193, college: SLC) nailed a double-double by scoring 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists for the winning side and international power forward Mohamad Haidar (203-1990, college: Michigan Tech) accounted for 28 points and 8 rebounds. Four Beirut Club players scored in double figures. American point guard Jesse Jones (183, college: Bridgeport) came up with 32 points and 5 assists and the other American import center Jarred Shaw (208-1990, college: Utah St.) added 21 points and 14 rebounds respectively for Homentmen in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Beirut Club have a solid series of four victories in a row. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader, which they share with Al Riyadi and Sagesse. Loser Homentmen still closes the standings with four games lost. They share the position with Byblos. Beirut Club will meet at home Atlas (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Homentmen's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Hoops.
Top scorers:
Homentmen: J.Jones 32+3reb+5ast, J.Shaw 21+14reb+2ast, L.Leonel 11+2reb+2ast, A.Serouj 5, Y.Mostapha 5+2reb+1ast, A.Tanios 2+1reb
Beirut Club: M.Haidar 28+8reb, O.Jamaleddine 25+11reb+7ast, K.Horton 20+7reb+2ast, G.Hadidian 10+3reb, M.Dixon 8+4reb+13ast, N.Rabay 5+5reb

Hoops - Liders 65-60

Hoops' fans can celebrate the first win of their team after three consecutive losses. They used home court advantage to defeat Liders (1-3) 65-60. American power forward Julian Scott (203-1990, college: ASU) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 16 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import forward Chris Washburn (203-1993, college: TCU) chipped in 13 points and 4 assists. Guard Youssef Ghantous (191-1996) responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds and American center Nicholas Evans (210-1988, college: S.Indiana) scored 7 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Hoops left bottom position moving up to eighth place, which they share with Antranik and Liders. It was Liders' third loss in a row. Hoops' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Homentmen.
Top scorers:
Liders: Y.Ghantous 22+10reb, K.Christophe 8+4reb+1ast, R.Hobson 8+4reb+1ast, H.Mike 7+2reb+1ast, N.Evans 7+10reb+3ast, J.Nemer 5+3reb+2ast
Hoops: J.Scott 21+16reb+1ast, C.Washburn 13+4reb+4ast, S.Abed 11+4reb+4ast, K.Aoun 5+6reb+2ast, S.Alaa 5+3reb, S.Elios 3+1reb

Atlas - Byblos 86-76

Very expected game when bottom-ranked Byblos (0-4) lost to seventh ranked Atlas (2-2) in Zahle 76-86 on Wednesday. Atlas outrebounded Byblos 50-33 including a 19-8 advantage in offensive rebounds. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Atlas made 7 blocks. American players dominated the game. Guard Myles Carter (185-1999, college: Delaware St.) nailed 29 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the winning side and forward Sidney Wilson (201-1999, college: SIUE, agency: Elevate Sports Alliance) accounted for 21 points and 15 rebounds. Atlas' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Point guard Ameer Jackson (193-1994, college: WSSU) came up with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists and forward Anthony Walker (206-1993, college: UT Arlington) added 20 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks respectively for Byblos in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Atlas moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Champville and NSA. Loser Byblos still closes the standings with four games lost. They share the position with Homentmen. Atlas will meet league's second-placed Beirut Club on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Byblos will play against Antranik (#8) and hope to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Byblos: A.Jackson 21+8reb+7ast, A.Walker 20+13reb, I.Haddad 11+3reb+2ast, N.Dimitri 11+6reb+2ast, A.Chidiac 5+1reb+1ast, S.Rayan 5+1reb
Atlas: M.Carter 29+6reb+7ast, S.Wilson 21+15reb, G.Yves-Daaboul 16+10reb+7ast, E.Ayoubi Refaat 11+4reb, T.Makhlouf 9+12reb+1ast, F.Pierre 0+1ast

Sagesse - Dynamo 78-66

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Dynamo (3-1) in Beirut on Sunday night. Visitors were defeated by Sagesse (4-0) 78-66. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Dynamo. It was a key game for the top position in the league. American power forward Cliff Alexander (203-1995, college: Kansas, agency: MSG) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 16 rebounds. His fellow American import Kerwin Roach II (192-1996, college: Texas) contributed with 20 points and 4 assists for the winners. American guard Zach Lofton (193-1992, college: NM State, agency: Slash Sports) answered with 22 points and international power forward Karim Ezzeddine (206-1997, college: N.Mexico) added 15 points and 9 rebounds in the effort for Dynamo. Sagesse have a solid series of four victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Riyadi and Beirut Club. Dynamo at the other side dropped to the fourth place with one game lost. Sagesse is looking forward to face NSA (#6) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Dynamo's supporters also look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Al Riyadi.
Top scorers:
Dynamo: Z.Lofton 22+1reb+3ast, K.Ezzeddine 15+9reb, A.Ibrahim 13+3reb+1ast, M.Alkhoury 6+5reb, A.Mahmoud 5+1reb+3ast, G.Salibi 3+3reb+2ast
Sagesse: C.Alexander 25+16reb+1ast, K.Roach II 20+2reb+4ast, P.Bou Abboud 11+11reb+1ast, A.Mezher 9+7reb+7ast, A.Abdel Massih 8, J.Jarrouge 3+1reb+1ast

NSA - Antranik 85-56

Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both ninth ranked NSA and 7th ranked Antranik had identical 1-2 record. This time NSA used a home court advantage and rolled over the opponent from Beirut 85-56 on Sunday night. NSA dominated down low during the game scoring 66 of its points in the paint compared to Antranik's 30. They outrebounded Antranik 49-31 including 34 on the defensive glass. NSA looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American players dominated the game. Forward Anthony Fairley (203-1999, college: Miles) nailed a double-double by scoring 30 points and 19 rebounds for the winning side and point guard Isaiah Hammons (194-1997, college: MACU) accounted for 19 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Four NSA players scored in double figures. Guard Keith Charleston (203-1995, college: SE Louisiana) came up with 12 points and 9 rebounds and guard Omega Harris (190-1995, college: UTEP) added 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for Antranik in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. NSA (2-2) moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Champville and Atlas. Antranik lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the eighth position with three games lost. They share it with Hoops and Liders. NSA will meet at home higher ranked Sagesse (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Antranik will play against Byblos (#11) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Antranik: M.Albert 12+5reb+2ast, K.Charleston 12+9reb, W.Sawan 9+4reb, S.Alaaeddine 9+3reb+1ast, O.Harris 8+6reb+5ast, A.Joel 6+3reb+4ast
NSA: A.Fairley 30+19reb+3ast, I.Hammons 19+11reb+7ast, G.Elio 11+4reb+3ast, S.Georges 10+6reb+2ast, S.Michel 8+4reb+1ast, O.Kaissy 4+2reb+2ast

Champville - Al Riyadi 69-104

LBL top team - Al Riyadi (4-0) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed fifth ranked Champville (2-2) in Dik El Mehdi 104-69. Al Riyadi dominated down low during the game scoring 72 of its points in the paint compared to Champville's 36. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 16 passes made by Champville's players. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Al Riyadi made 8 blocks. American guard Michael Qualls (197-1994, college: Arkansas) nailed 26 points for the winning side and the former international forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-1990, college: F&M) accounted for 21 points. Four Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. The former international guard Jimmy Salem (190-1995) came up with 20 points and Ghassan Tacca added 5 points and 11 rebounds respectively for Champville in the defeat. 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 a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain first place with 4-0 record, which they share with Beirut Club and Sagesse. Loser Champville keeps the fifth position with two games lost. They share it with Atlas and NSA. 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 Dynamo.
Top scorers:
Champville: J.Salem 20+3reb+2ast, K.Feagin 14+2reb+2ast, A.Kopaly 12+2reb+3ast, M.Abi-Kheres 8+5reb, G.Choueiry 5+3reb+1ast, T.Ghassan 5+11reb+3ast
Al Riyadi: M.Qualls 26+4reb+1ast, H.Gyokchyan 21+4reb+1ast, A.Majok 13+5reb+4ast, B.Tabbara 12+2reb+2ast, A.Jamal Omar 8+3reb, A.Mansour 8+1reb+10ast



Tags : CLIFF ALEXANDER, SAGESSE - AL HEKMEH BEIRUT, LEBANESE BASKETBALL