LBL Round 20: Derby game ends with Beirut Club's defeat of Antranik

The games at this stage are more interesting as they can be crucial for the final standings in Regular Season. Despite we already know who is stronger and who is weaker, there may be still last minute surprises and upsets. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Beirut: Beirut Club (#3) and Antranik (#5). Antranik was smashed at home by 17 points 69-86 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Antranik. They outrebounded Antranik 47-28 including a 31-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Beirut Club looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American Shabazz Muhammad (198-1992, college: UCLA) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds. The former international power forward Mohamad Haidar (203-1990, college: Michigan Tech) contributed with 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. American forward Westley Hinton (206-1991, college: Troy) replied with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks for Antranik. Beirut Club (17-2) have an impressive nine-game winning streak. Defending champion (17-2) moved-up to second place. Antranik at the other side keeps the fifth position with ten games lost. Beirut Club will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Antranik's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Sagesse.
LBL top team - Dynamo (17-1) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed tenth ranked Homentmen (4-13) in Beirut 102-82. Worth to mention a quality performance of American guard Zach Lofton (193-1992, college: NM State, agency: Slash Sports) who helped to win the game recording 33 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 4 assists and Karim Ezzeddine who added 11 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. American guard Mark Lyons (185-1989, college: Arizona) responded with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Dynamo have an impressive 14-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 17-1 record. Homentmen at the other side keeps the tenth place with 13 games lost. Dynamo will play against Champville (#7) in Dik El Mehdi in the next round where they are favorite. Homentmen will play against NSA and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Worth to mention about the upset in a game between Liders (7-11) and NSA (6-12), which took place in . Higher ranked Liders lost to ninth ranked NSA in a road game 82-93 on Saturday. The winners were led by Dallas Morgan who had that evening a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!), 16 rebounds and 8 assists. NSA's coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Even a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds by Alex Peacock did not help to save the game for Liders. NSA moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Hoops. Liders at the other side, also newcomer in the league, dropped to the sixth position with 11 games lost. They share it with Champville. NSA will meet Homentmen (#10) in the next round. Liders will play against Byblos (#12) and hope to secure a win.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 20: Hoops was beaten by Champville on the road 76-66. Sagesse destroyed Atlas on its own court 109-89. Bottom-ranked Byblos were outscored by Al Riyadi in Beirut 124-87. Beirut Club rolled over Champville at home 108-74.
The most impressive performance of 20th round was 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists by Jimmy Salem of Champville.

Antranik - Beirut Club 69-86

The most interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Beirut: Beirut Club (#3) and Antranik (#5). Antranik was smashed at home by 17 points 69-86 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Antranik. They outrebounded Antranik 47-28 including a 31-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Beirut Club looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American Shabazz Muhammad (198-1992, college: UCLA) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds. The former international power forward Mohamad Haidar (203-1990, college: Michigan Tech) contributed with 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Five Beirut Club players scored in double figures. American forward Westley Hinton (206-1991, college: Troy) replied with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks and his fellow American import guard Jordan Jackson (190-1997, college: UTRGV) added 23 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in the effort for Antranik. Beirut Club (17-2) have an impressive nine-game winning streak. Defending champion (17-2) moved-up to second place. Antranik at the other side keeps the fifth position with ten games lost. Beirut Club will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Antranik's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Sagesse.
Top scorers:
Beirut Club: S.Muhammad 18+10reb+2ast, O.Jamaleddine 17+6reb+1ast, M.Haidar 16+7reb+3ast, K.Hayes 13+4reb+5ast, N.Rabay 10+9reb+3ast, G.Hadidian 6+6reb+1ast
Antranik: W.Hinton 31+9reb+1ast, J.Jackson 23+7reb+7ast, S.Alaaeddine 5+2reb+2ast, M.Albert 3+1ast, W.Sawan 3+2reb+2ast, A.Joel 2+3reb+4ast

Champville - Hoops 76-66

Everything could happen in Dik El Mehdi at the game between two tied teams. Both fifth ranked Champville and 8th ranked Hoops had identical 6-11 record. This time Champville used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Beirut 76-66 on Thursday night. Champville outrebounded Hoops 52-31 including a 39-25 advantage in defensive rebounds. The winners were led by Ghassan Tacca who had that evening a double-double by scoring 16 points and 17 rebounds and the former international guard Jimmy Salem (190-1995) supported him with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Four Champville players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks by U.S. Virgin Islands forward Romani Hansen (203-1997, college: Albany) did not help to save the game for Hoops. Point guard Joseph Zaloum (180-1990) added 13 points and 7 assists for the guests. Despite that victory Champville went down to sixth position due to points difference, which they share with Liders. Loser Hoops keep the eighth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with NSA. Champville will meet league's leader Dynamo in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Hoops' 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 21+8reb+3ast, T.Ghassan 16+17reb+1ast, M.Abi-Kheres 15+13reb+2ast, G.Choueiry 12+3reb+3ast, M.Lomayo 9+6reb+3ast, A.Kopaly 2+2reb+1ast
Hoops: R.Hansen 20+10reb+3ast, J.Zaloum 13+3reb+7ast, E.Helou Hicham 10+2reb+2ast, S.Alaa 9+2ast, S.Jason 8+3reb+1ast, K.Amir 4+10reb

NSA - Liders 93-82

Worth to mention about the upset in a game between Liders (7-11) and NSA (6-12), which took place in . Higher ranked Liders lost to ninth ranked NSA in a road game 82-93 on Saturday. NSA outrebounded Liders 41-29 including a 34-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. The winners were led by American guard Dallas Morgan (185, college: CMU) who had that evening a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!), 16 rebounds and 8 assists and Serbian-Montenegrin forward Milko Bjelica (207-1984, agency: BIG) supported him with 21 points and 8 rebounds. NSA's coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Even a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds by American Alex Peacock (199-1997, college: Texas St.) did not help to save the game for Liders. His fellow American import guard Stanley Davis Jr (196-1998, college: Morgan St.) added 25 points for the guests. NSA moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Hoops. Liders at the other side, also newcomer in the league, dropped to the sixth position with 11 games lost. They share it with Champville. NSA will meet Homentmen (#10) in the next round. Liders will play against Byblos (#12) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
NSA: D.Morgan 34+16reb+8ast, M.Bjelica 21+8reb+1ast, O.Kaissy 11+8reb+5ast, K.Jadayel 9+1ast, S.Georges 9+5reb+1ast, G.Elio 6+2reb+1ast
Liders: S.Davis Jr. 25+1reb+3ast, A.Peacock 25+10reb+2ast, K.Christophe 17+7reb+2ast, J.Nemer 8+3reb+3ast, H.Mike 5+4reb+2ast, J.Makhlouf 2+4reb

Dynamo - Homentmen 102-82

LBL top team - Dynamo (17-1) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed tenth ranked Homentmen (4-13) in Beirut 102-82. Worth to mention a quality performance of American guard Zach Lofton (193-1992, college: NM State, agency: Slash Sports) who helped to win the game recording 33 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 4 assists and international power forward Karim Ezzeddine (206-1997, college: N.Mexico) who added 11 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Five Dynamo players scored in double figures. American guard Mark Lyons (185-1989, college: Arizona) responded with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals and his fellow American import Joshua Caldwell (203-1991, college: William Penn, agency: Elevate Sports Alliance) scored 26 points and 9 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Dynamo have an impressive 14-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 17-1 record. Homentmen at the other side keeps the tenth place with 13 games lost. Dynamo will play against Champville (#7) in Dik El Mehdi in the next round where they are favorite. Homentmen will play against NSA and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Dynamo: Z.Lofton 33+8reb+4ast, A.Ibrahim 12+1reb+1ast, M.Alkhoury 12+6reb+1ast, K.Ezzeddine 11+6reb+2ast, J.Khalil 10+2reb+3ast, A.Mahmoud 7+2reb+1ast
Homentmen: M.Lyons 27+6reb+6ast, J.Caldwell 26+9reb+2ast, A.Tanios 7+3reb+1ast, A.Serouj 6+2reb+1ast, K.Mohamad 5+1reb, D.Baghdadian 4+6reb

Sagesse - Atlas 109-89

Very expected game when 11th ranked Atlas (4-14) were smashed by third ranked Sagesse (16-2) in Beirut 109-89 on Saturday. Sagesse looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. The winners were led by American Kerwin Roach II (192-1996, college: Texas) who scored that evening 22 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists and the former international guard Sergio El Darwich (193-1996, college: Maine) supported him with 20 points. Sagesse's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even 27 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists by American guard Myles Carter (185-1999, college: Delaware St., agency: Diamond Sports) did not help to save the game for Atlas. His fellow American import power forward Mason Harrell (203-1997, college: WSSU) added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the guests. Sagesse have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 16-2 record behind leader Dynamo. Atlas lost sixth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh place with 14 games lost. Sagesse's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Antranik.
Top scorers:
Sagesse: K.Roach II 22+8reb+7ast, S.El Darwich 20+3reb+1ast, P.Bou Abboud 17+6reb, J.Jarrouge 9, C.Alexander 9+9reb+1ast, M.Rudy 8+1reb+1ast
Atlas: M.Carter 27+9reb+9ast, M.Harrell 24+10reb, F.Pierre 13+3reb+2ast, M.Tarek 9+1reb, G.Yves-Daaboul 9+1reb+4ast, F.Georges 4+2reb

Al Riyadi - Byblos 124-87

Very predictable result when fourth ranked Al Riyadi (14-3) rolled over bottom-ranked Byblos (2-16) in Beirut 124-87 on Sunday. Al Riyadi shot 64.3 percent from the field. They also forced 19 Byblos turnovers. They shot the lights out from three sinking 20 long-distance shots on high 62.5 percentage. Al Riyadi looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists. The winners were led by the former international guard Karim Zeinoun (188-1999) who scored that evening 30 points (on 12-of-14 shooting from the field) and the former international guard Amir Saoud (186-1991) supported him with 30 points and 4 assists (on 10-of-12 shooting from the field). Five Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds by American power forward C.J. Aiken (206-1990, college: St.Joseph's, agency: BIG) did not help to save the game for Byblos. Naturalized Mexican swingman Dimitri Nader (193-2003) added 21 points and 4 assists for the guests. Al Riyadi maintains fourth position with 14-3 record. Byblos lost third consecutive game. They stay at the bottom place with 16 games lost. Al Riyadi will meet at home Atlas (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Byblos will play against Liders and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: A.Saoud 30+4ast, K.Zeinoun 30+3reb+3ast, H.Gyokchyan 17+6reb+3ast, D.Johnson 15+3reb+3ast, B.Tabbara 14+5reb+3ast, A.Mansour 6+3reb+7ast
Byblos: N.Dimitri 21+3reb+4ast, C.Aiken 19+13reb+3ast, A.Tanos Rami 18+7ast, R.Guy 8+1reb+4ast, H.Charbel 6, Y.Charbel 6+3reb+1ast

Beirut Club - Champville 108-74

Not a big story in a game when 5th ranked Champville (7-11) was outscored on the road by third ranked Beirut Club (17-2) 108-74 on Sunday. Beirut Club dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Champville's 38. They outrebounded Champville 44-20 including a 18-1 advantage in offensive rebounds. Beirut Club looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 14 passes made by Champville's players. The winners were led by American guard Kenny Hayes (189-1987, college: Miami, OH) who scored that evening 17 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists and the other American import Shabazz Muhammad (198-1992, college: UCLA) supported him with 24 points. Five Beirut Club players scored in double figures. Beirut Club's coach Marwan Khalil felt very confident that he used entire bench saving starting five for next games. Even 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists by the former international guard Jimmy Salem (190-1995) did not help to save the game for Champville. Forward Marc Abi-Kheres (197-1994) added 12 points and 7 rebounds for the guests. Beirut Club have an impressive nine-game winning streak. Defending champion moved-up to second place. Loser Champville dropped to the sixth position with 11 games lost. They share it with Liders. Beirut Club will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Champville will play against the league's leader Dynamo (#1) in Beirut and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Beirut Club: S.Muhammad 24+3reb+2ast, E.Rustom 19+2reb+2ast, N.Rabay 19+8reb, K.Hayes 17+7reb+8ast, O.Jamaleddine 11+7reb+5ast, M.Haidar 10+5reb+2ast
Champville: J.Salem 30+5reb+5ast, M.Abi-Kheres 12+7reb+2ast, M.Lomayo 11, B.Elie 6+2reb, A.Kopaly 5+1reb, G.Choueiry 5



Tags : SHABAZZ MUHAMMAD, BEIRUT CLUB, LEBANESE BASKETBALL