LBL Round 5 of Regular Season

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The biggest surprise of round 5 in LBL was guest Antranik's (#4) road victory over Mayrouba (#5) 88-84 on Monday evening. The best player for the winners was American forward Tony Criswell (205-1991, college: Missouri, agency: Interperformances) who scored 26 points and 7 rebounds. American point guard Saeed Nelson (188-1998, college: American) chipped in 18 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Dominican-American forward Anyeuri Castillo (201-1997, college: USC Aiken) produced a double-double by scoring 27 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists for the hosts. Antranik maintains fourth place with 4-1 record. Mayrouba at the other side keeps the fifth position with two games lost. Antranik are looking forward to face NSA (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Mayrouba will play against the league's leader Beirut Club (#1) and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Undefeated leader Beirut Club delivered the fifth consecutive victory. This time they crushed 9th ranked Tadamon (1-4) 93-65. The former international power forward Mohamad Haidar (203-1990, college: Michigan Tech) orchestrated the victory by scoring 22 points and 9 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). Ali Mezher contributed with 11 points and 7 assists for the winners. Croatian power forward Josip Mikulic (215-1993, college: Fairfield, agency: Interperformances) answered with a double-double by scoring 13 points, 22 rebounds and 5 assists for Tadamon. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Undefeated Beirut Club (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with a perfect record of 5 victories in a row. Newly promoted Tadamon keeps the ninth position with four games lost. They share it with Maristes. Beirut Club will play against Mayrouba (#5) on the road in the next round. Tadamon will play against Sagesse (#3) in Beirut to get more than just one victory in their record.
Bottom-ranked Hoops (0-5) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 77-68 loss to eighth ranked Antonine (2-3) in Beirut on Sunday evening. The game was dominated by American players. Kevin Murphy stepped up and scored 30 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Dikembe Dixson responded with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 10 rebounds. Antonine moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Al Markaziyyah. Hoops lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. Antonine will meet at home league's second-placed Al Riyadi in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Hoops will play against Maristes (#9) in Dik El Mehdi and hope to get finally their first victory.

Other games of round 5 were very predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Maristes were defeated by Al Markaziyyah in Jounieh 72-71. Maristes lost to undefeated Sagesse at home 68-97. Al Riyadi won against Hoops on the opponent's court 86-84.
The best stats of 5th round was 32 points, 10 assists and 4 steals by AJ English of Hoops.



Beirut Club - Tadamon 93-65

Undefeated leader Beirut Club delivered the fifth consecutive victory. This time they crushed 9th ranked Tadamon (1-4) 93-65. Beirut Club dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Tadamon's 42. Beirut Club players were unselfish on offense dishing 25 assists. The former international power forward Mohamad Haidar (203-1990, college: Michigan Tech) orchestrated the victory by scoring 22 points and 9 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). The former international point guard Ali Mezher (182-1994) contributed with 11 points and 7 assists for the winners. Five Beirut Club players scored in double figures. Croatian power forward Josip Mikulic (215-1993, college: Fairfield, agency: Interperformances) answered with a double-double by scoring 13 points, 22 rebounds and 5 assists and American guard Unique McLean (188-1997, college: SFC, agency: Blacktop Management) added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the effort for Tadamon. 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 (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with a perfect record of 5 victories in a row. Newly promoted Tadamon keeps the ninth position with four games lost. They share it with Maristes. Beirut Club will play against Mayrouba (#5) on the road in the next round. Tadamon will play against Sagesse (#3) in Beirut to get more than just one victory in their record.
Top scorers:
Tadamon: U.McLean 16+6reb+4ast, J.Mikulic 13+22reb+5ast, B.Boustany 11+1reb+4ast, D.Spencer 9+2reb+2ast, M.Chouman 5, A.Alalia 4+2reb+1ast
Beirut Club: M.Haidar 22+9reb+1ast, B.Halums 17+3reb+1ast, Q.Miller-Scott 13+1reb+3ast, A.Mezher 11+4reb+7ast, S.El Darwich 10+5reb+7ast, M.Al-Khoury 10+2reb

Mayrouba - Antranik 84-88

The biggest surprise of round 5 in LBL was guest Antranik's (#4) road victory over Mayrouba (#5) 88-84 on Monday evening. The best player for the winners was American forward Tony Criswell (205-1991, college: Missouri, agency: Interperformances) who scored 26 points and 7 rebounds. American point guard Saeed Nelson (188-1998, college: American) chipped in 18 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Criswell is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Dominican-American forward Anyeuri Castillo (201-1997, college: USC Aiken) produced a double-double by scoring 27 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists and American Samuel Daniel (203-1996, college: Florida Tech) added 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Antranik maintains fourth place with 4-1 record. Mayrouba at the other side keeps the fifth position with two games lost. Antranik are looking forward to face NSA (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Mayrouba will play against the league's leader Beirut Club (#1) and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Mayrouba: A.Castillo 27+11reb+7ast, S.Daniel 22+7reb+5ast, J.Padgett 18+10reb+3ast, J.Nakhle 12+2reb+1ast, K.Kozah 3+1reb+2ast, G.Rizk 2+3reb+3ast
Antranik: T.Criswell 26+7reb, R.Moussa 19+6reb+5ast, S.Nelson 18+5reb+8ast, A.Fairley 18+6reb+1ast, A.Kopaly 5+2reb, J.Abou Samra 2+3reb+4ast

Al Markaziyyah - Maristes 72-71

Everything could happen in Jounieh at the game between two tied teams. Both tenth ranked Al Markaziyyah and 9th ranked Maristes had identical 1-3 record. This time Al Markaziyyah used a home court advantage and edged the opponent from Dik El Mehdi 72-71 on Saturday night. American guard Cameron Young (195-1996, college: Quinnipiac, agency: Slash Sports) stepped up and scored 21 points and 6 rebounds for the winners and point guard Joseph Zaloum (180-1990) chipped in 12 points and 7 assists. Four Al Markaziyyah players scored in double figures. Al Markaziyyah's coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. American center Henry Sims (208-1990, college: Georgetown) responded with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 15 rebounds and the other American import point guard Joshua Gray (185-1993, college: LSU) scored 19 points and 7 assists. Al Markaziyyah (2-3) moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Antonine. Maristes lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the ninth position with four games lost. They share it with Tadamon. Al Markaziyyah will meet higher ranked Homentmen (#6) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Maristes will play against Hoops and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Maristes: H.Sims 21+15reb+1ast, J.Gray 19+7ast, R.Zanbaka 14+7reb+1ast, J.Salem 8+9reb+2ast, A.John 4+6reb, M.Sarkis 3+3ast
Al Markaziyyah: C.Young 21+6reb+3ast, J.Tyler 14+8reb, A.Nabaa 12+6reb, J.Zaloum 12+3reb+7ast, E.Ghaleb 8+10reb, O.Eldridge 5+1reb+1ast

Hoops - Antonine 68-77

Bottom-ranked Hoops (0-5) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 77-68 loss to eighth ranked Antonine (2-3) in Beirut on Sunday evening. The game was dominated by American players. Guard Kevin Murphy (197-1990, college: Tenn Tech) stepped up and scored 30 points and 5 rebounds for the winners and point guard Kerwin Roach II (192-1996, college: Texas) chipped in 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Forward Dikembe Dixson (201-1996, college: UIC) responded with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 10 rebounds and guard AJ English (192-1992, college: Iona) scored 16 points and 4 assists. Four Hoops players scored in double figures. Antonine moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Al Markaziyyah. Hoops lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. Antonine will meet at home league's second-placed Al Riyadi in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Hoops will play against Maristes (#9) in Dik El Mehdi and hope to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Hoops: D.Dixson 28+10reb+2ast, A.English 16+4reb+4ast, R.Akl 10+1reb+3ast, A.Iyiola 10+10reb+2ast, T.Akiki 4+3reb+1ast, A.Sabbagh 0+1reb
Antonine: K.Murphy 30+5reb+2ast, K.Roach II 20+9reb+5ast, P.Abboud 9+7reb+3ast, M.Loncar 8+9reb+1ast, M.Martinez 5+2reb+4ast, B.Mansour 5+1reb+1ast

Maristes - Sagesse 68-97

No shocking result in a game in Dik El Mehdi where leader Sagesse (4-0) smashed 9th ranked Maristes (1-4) 97-68 on Tuesday. Sagesse looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. The game was also dominated by American players. Muhammad Shabazz stepped up with a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 11 rebounds for the winners and guard Zach Lofton (193-1993, college: NM State, agency: Slash Sports) chipped in 21 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Point guard Joshua Gray (185-1993, college: LSU) responded with 18 points and 5 assists and center Henry Sims (208-1990, college: Georgetown) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points and 10 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Maristes' coach gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Sagesse. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Al Riyadi. Maristes lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the ninth position with four games lost. They share it with Tadamon. Sagesse will meet at home Tadamon (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Maristes will play against Hoops and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Maristes: J.Gray 18+4reb+5ast, R.Massaad 12+1ast, H.Sims 12+10reb+1ast, R.Zanbaka 10+3reb+4ast, J.Salem 5+5reb+2ast, G.Samaha 4+5reb
Sagesse: M.Shabazz 34+11reb+1ast, Z.Lofton 21+7reb+8ast, O.Jamaleddine 12+6reb, A.Abdel Massih 10+1reb+7ast, M.Khoueiry 8+4reb+2ast, G.Hadidian 6+1reb

Hoops - Al Riyadi 84-86

Very expected game in Beirut where bottom-ranked Hoops (0-5) were edged by leader Al Riyadi (4-0) 86-84 on Wednesday. Al Riyadi looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. International guard Wael Arakji (193-1994) stepped up and scored 24 points, 8 assists and 4 steals for the winners and the former international forward Hayk Gyokchyan (203-1990, college: F&M) chipped in 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Five Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. American guard AJ English (192-1992, college: Iona) responded with a double-double by scoring 32 points, 10 assists and 4 steals and the other American import forward Dikembe Dixson (201-1996, college: UIC) scored 22 points and 8 rebounds. Hoops' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Al Riyadi. Defending champion moved-up to second place, which they share with Sagesse. Hoops lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. Al Riyadi will meet Antonine (#7) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Hoops will play against Maristes (#9) in Dik El Mehdi and look forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Hoops: A.English 32+3reb+10ast, D.Dixson 22+8reb+1ast, A.Sabbagh 12+1reb, A.Iyiola 9+8reb+3ast, T.Akiki 7+4reb+2ast, Z.Makhzoum 2+1reb
Al Riyadi: W.Arakji 24+2reb+8ast, H.Gyokchyan 14+11reb+5ast, I.Diop 14+11reb+1ast, K.Zeinoun 12+4reb+1ast, G.King 11+2reb+2ast, A.Mansour 7