DLBL Round 17 (Regular Season): Al Riyadi beat Antranik in a derby game

The Regular Season in DLBL is slowly approaching the end. But there may be still some important changes in the final standings in the last 4 rounds. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Beirut: Al Riyadi (#1) and Antranik (#7). Al Riyadi (17-0) crushed visiting Antranik (9-9) by 21 points 107-86. Al Riyadi made 21-of-21 free shots (100 percent !!!) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Antranik's players. The best player for the winners was South Sudanese-American Nuni Omot (204-1994, college: Baylor) who scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. American Maurice Kemp (203-1991, college: ECU) chipped in 21 points. American Christian Brown (198-2000, college: Tennessee St.) produced 41 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line) for the guests. 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 Al Riyadi have an impressive series of seventeen victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 17-0 record. Antranik at the other side keeps the seventh position with nine games lost. Al Riyadi are looking forward to face Al Markaziyyah (#3) in Jounieh in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Antranik will have a break next round.
We should mention about the upset which took place in , where higher ranked Homentmen (10-7) lost to tenth ranked NSA (5-12) in a road game 94-104. Serbian-Canadian center Stefan Jankovic (211-1993, college: Hawaii, agency: BIG) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 28 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists. Makye Richards contributed with 29 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. American point guard Jordan Stevens (182-1994, college: Midwestern St.) answered with 39 points (!!!) for Homentmen. NSA moved-up to ninth place. Homentmen at the other side dropped to the fourth position with seven games lost. They share it with Hoops. NSA will play against league's second-placed Sagesse in Beirut in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Homentmen's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Beirut Club.
An interesting game took place in Batroun, where 8th ranked Beirut Club (7-8) was outleveled in a road game by eleventh ranked Batroun (4-13) 97-73 on Wednesday. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Beirut Club. The game was dominated by American players. Desi Washington stepped up and scored 29 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Daniel Hamilton responded with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Beirut Club's coach gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. Newly promoted Batroun maintains eleventh place with 4-13 record. Loser Beirut Club keeps the eighth position with eight games lost. Batroun will meet bottom-ranked Tadamon (#12) in the next round. Beirut Club's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Homentmen.

Other games of round 17 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Al Markaziyyah crushed Maristes in Jounieh 117-76. Antonine was beaten by Antranik at home 82-99. Maristes lost to Homentmen on the opponent's court 97-105.
The best stats of 17th round was 32 points and 12 rebounds by Tyler Bey of Homentmen.



Al Riyadi - Antranik 107-86

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Beirut: Al Riyadi (#1) and Antranik (#7). Al Riyadi (17-0) crushed visiting Antranik (9-9) by 21 points 107-86. Al Riyadi made 21-of-21 free shots (100 percent !!!) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Antranik's players. The best player for the winners was South Sudanese-American Nuni Omot (204-1994, college: Baylor) who scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. American Maurice Kemp (203-1991, college: ECU) chipped in 21 points. Five Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. American Christian Brown (198-2000, college: Tennessee St.) produced 41 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line) and the other American import point guard Jeremiah Gambrell Jr (190-2000, college: Alcorn St., agency: 0z Sports Agency) added 26 points respectively for the guests. 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 an impressive series of seventeen victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 17-0 record. Antranik at the other side keeps the seventh position with nine games lost. Al Riyadi are looking forward to face Al Markaziyyah (#3) in Jounieh in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Antranik will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: K.Maurice 21+3reb+2ast, O.Nuni 20+8reb+5ast, M.Ali 16+4reb+4ast, G.Hayk 14+9reb+3ast, S.Amir 12+5reb+7ast, B.Perrin 11+5reb+5ast
Antranik: C.Brown 41+7reb+1ast, J.Gambrell Jr. 26+3reb+3ast, M.Majak 12+8reb, H.Antonio 5+1reb+2ast, N.Majd 2+1reb, E.Kouba Aldo 0+3reb+2ast

Maristes - Al Markaziyyah 76-117

There was no surprise in Dik El Mehdi where 9th ranked Maristes (5-13) were crushed by third ranked Al Markaziyyah (11-6) 117-76 on Sunday. Al Markaziyyah dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Maristes' 32 and made 19-of-22 free shots (86.4 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Maristes 53-31 including a 40-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. Al Markaziyyah looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists. American forward Kenny Wooten Jr (204-1998, college: Oregon) stepped up and scored 29 points and 5 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) for the winners and Jihad El Khatib chipped in 23 points and 9 rebounds. Four Al Markaziyyah players scored in double figures. Al Markaziyyah's coach felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Angolan-Spanish forward Julio De Assis (203-1992) responded with 26 points and 9 rebounds (was perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line !!!) and American guard Christian Harvey (185, college: Marian, IN) scored 16 points and 4 assists. The victory was the third consecutive win for Al Markaziyyah. They maintain third place with 11-6 record having six points less than leader Al Riyadi. Maristes lost their ninth game in a row. They dropped to the tenth position with 13 games lost. Al Markaziyyah will meet at home league's leader Al Riyadi in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Maristes will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Al Markaziyyah: W.Kenny 29+5reb+1ast, K.El 23+9reb, C.Anyeuri 18+8reb+6ast, M.Donte 16+3reb+5ast, S.Elios 8+9reb+2ast, G.Salem 7+1reb+8ast
Maristes: J.De Assis 26+9reb+2ast, C.Harvey 16+2reb+4ast, M.Rudy 9+2reb+4ast, E.Khatib Hadi 9+3reb+3ast, D.Agnew 8+7reb+2ast, A.Mostapha 8+8reb+2ast

NSA - Homentmen 104-94

We should mention about the upset which took place in , where higher ranked Homentmen (10-7) lost to tenth ranked NSA (5-12) in a road game 94-104. NSA outrebounded Homentmen 48-30 including 17 on the offensive glass. NSA players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. Serbian-Canadian center Stefan Jankovic (211-1993, college: Hawaii, agency: BIG) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 28 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists. American guard Makye Richards (188, college: Xavier, LA) contributed with 29 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. American point guard Jordan Stevens (182-1994, college: Midwestern St.) answered with 39 points (!!!) and the other American import forward Tyler Bey (201-1998, college: Colorado) added 17 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in the effort for Homentmen. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. NSA moved-up to ninth place. Homentmen at the other side dropped to the fourth position with seven games lost. They share it with Hoops. NSA will play against league's second-placed Sagesse in Beirut in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Homentmen's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Beirut Club.
Top scorers:
NSA: R.Makye 29+9reb+2ast, J.Stefan 28+17reb+6ast, K.Christophe 24+9reb+1ast, R.Petar 18+8reb+7ast, J.Soufan 5+3reb+3ast, J.Khoury 0
Homentmen: J.Stevens 39+1reb+3ast, T.Bey 17+11reb+6ast, K.Thomas 16+8reb+4ast, A.Isaac 10+3reb+4ast, A.Gabriel 6+4reb+2ast, A.Abdel Massih 6+3reb

Batroun - Beirut Club 97-73

An interesting game took place in Batroun, where 8th ranked Beirut Club (7-8) was outleveled in a road game by eleventh ranked Batroun (4-13) 97-73 on Wednesday. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Beirut Club. Batroun made 25-of-31 free shots (80.6 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Beirut Club 43-30 including a 33-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. The game was dominated by American players. Guard Desi Washington (188-1992, college: St.Peter's) stepped up and scored 29 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners and swingman Darious Hall (200-1997, college: Cent Arkansas) chipped in 26 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Four Batroun players scored in double figures. Daniel Hamilton (201-1995, college: UConn) responded with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals and forward Tray Jackson (208-2000, college: Michigan) scored 20 points and 6 rebounds. Beirut Club's coach gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. Newly promoted Batroun maintains eleventh place with 4-13 record. Loser Beirut Club keeps the eighth position with eight games lost. Batroun will meet bottom-ranked Tadamon (#12) in the next round. Beirut Club'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:
Batroun: W.Desi 29+9reb+6ast, H.Darious 26+11reb+7ast, K.Kozah 19+2reb+1ast, N.Joshua 10+15reb+1ast, H.Malek 8+1reb+2ast, K.Andrew 5+1ast
Beirut Club: A.English 21+2reb+1ast, T.Jackson 20+6reb, D.Hamilton 12+9reb+6ast, H.Rayan 5+3reb+1ast, J.Zaloum 5+1reb+2ast, J.Abou Samra 4+2reb+2ast

Antonine - Antranik 82-99

There was a small surprise when seventh ranked Antranik (9-9) defeated on the road 5th ranked Antonine (10-8) 99-82 on Thursday. Antranik made 20-of-26 free shots (76.9 percent) during the game. Antranik had a 31-16 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. The game was also dominated by American players. point guard Jeremiah Gambrell Jr (190-2000, college: Alcorn St., agency: 0z Sports Agency) stepped up and scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the winners and Christian Brown (198-2000, college: Tennessee St.) chipped in 27 points and 8 rebounds. Power forward Clinton Chapman (208-1989, college: Texas, agency: Diamond Sports) responded with a double-double by scoring 35 points (!!!) and 10 rebounds and point guard Glenn Cosey (183-1992, college: EKU) scored 17 points and 4 assists. Five Antranik and four Antonine players scored in double figures. Antranik maintains seventh place with 9-9 record. Loser Antonine dropped to the sixth position with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Antranik: B.Christian 27+8reb+1ast, G.Jeremiah 20+8reb+9ast, R.Guy 17+7reb+4ast, M.Majur 15+13reb+2ast, K.Kevork 14+1reb+4ast, S.Alaa 3+3reb+3ast
Antonine: C.Chapman 35+10reb+1ast, G.Cosey 17+2reb+4ast, R.Ledo 12+5reb+4ast, M.Al-Khoury 10+7reb+4ast, A.Assi 6, M.Martinez 2+2reb+3ast

Homentmen - Maristes 105-97

Rather expected game in Beirut where 9th ranked Maristes (5-13) were defeated by sixth ranked Homentmen (10-7) 105-97 on Thursday. Homentmen dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Maristes' 48 and made 22-of-28 free shots (78.6 percent) during the game. Homentmen looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American forward Tyler Bey (201-1998, college: Colorado) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 32 points and 12 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import point guard Jordan Stevens (182-1994, college: Midwestern St.) chipped in 28 points and 11 assists. American guard Christian Harvey (185, college: Marian, IN) responded with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists and Angolan-Spanish forward Julio De Assis (203-1992) scored 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Homentmen and five Maristes players scored in double figures. Homentmen moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Hoops. Maristes lost their ninth game in a row. They dropped to the tenth position with 13 games lost. Homentmen's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Beirut Club.
Top scorers:
Homentmen: B.Tyler 32+12reb+1ast, S.Jordan 28+1reb+11ast, T.Khalid 17+8reb+1ast, G.Ajemian 12+8reb+8ast, A.Aziz 6+2reb+2ast, I.Ayoubi 6+2reb
Maristes: J.De Assis 21+6reb+4ast, C.Harvey 21+5reb+7ast, A.Mostapha 18+8reb+1ast, M.Rudy 18+2reb+4ast, D.Agnew 13+12reb+2ast, E.Khatib Hadi 5+1reb+1ast