DLBL Round 19 (Regular Season): Beirut Club is defeated by Sagesse in a derby game

There are only two more rounds left in the Regular Season in DLBL. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Beirut: Sagesse (#2) and Beirut Club (#7). Beirut Club was defeated at home 100-110 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. Sagesse dominated down low during the game scoring 76 of its points in the paint compared to Beirut Club's 34. Sagesse looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists. It was a great evening for the former international forward Youssef Khayat (206-2003, college: BGSU) who led his team to a victory scoring 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. American power forward Paris Bass (207-1995, college: Detroit) helped adding 27 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. At the losing side American guard AJ English (192-1992, college: Iona) responded with 52 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds. Sagesse (16-3) have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain second place having just three points less than leader Al Riyadi. Beirut Club at the other side dropped to the eighth position with ten games lost. Sagesse are looking forward to face Al Markaziyyah (#3) in Jounieh in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Beirut Club will play at home against Antonine (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Another exciting game was again a derby between two teams from Beirut: Antranik (#8) and Beirut Club (#7). Antranik (10-9) crushed visiting Beirut Club (9-10) by 25 points 95-70. It was an exceptional evening for American Christian Brown (198-2000, college: Tennessee St.) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 12 rebounds (made all of his eight free throws). Jeremiah Gambrell Jr accounted for 25 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. American Shabazz Muhammad (198-1992, college: UCLA) came up with 19 points and 6 rebounds for Beirut Club 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. Antranik moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Homentmen and Antonine. Beirut Club at the other side dropped to the eighth position with ten games lost. Antranik will play against bottom-ranked Tadamon (#12) in Hrajel in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Beirut Club will play at home against Antonine (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
DLBL top team - Al Riyadi (19-0) added another victory to their record on Saturday. This time they beat sixth ranked Antonine (10-9) in Beirut 104-97. Maurice Kemp fired 26 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Glenn Cosey produced a double-double by scoring 26 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists for lost side. The victory was the nineteenth consecutive win for Al Riyadi. Defending champion maintains first place with 19-0 record. Antonine lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the fifth position with nine games lost. They share it with Homentmen and Antranik. Al Riyadi's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Homentmen.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 19: Batroun lost to NSA on the opponent's court 79-91. Al Markaziyyah managed to outperform Homentmen in a home game 105-96. Maristes were rolled over Sagesse on the road 114-95.



NSA - Batroun 91-79

Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both tenth ranked NSA and 11th ranked Batroun had identical 5-13 record. This time NSA used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Batroun 91-79 on Friday night. NSA made 16-of-19 free shots (84.2 percent) during the game. It was a great shooting night for NSA especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.4 percentage. Serbian guard Petar Rakicevic (204-1995) fired 27 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Serbian-Canadian center Stefan Jankovic (211-1993, college: Hawaii, agency: BIG) chipped in 21 points and 7 rebounds. Four NSA players scored in double figures. American swingman Darious Hall (200-1997, college: Cent Arkansas) produced 19 points and 8 rebounds and the other American import guard Desi Washington (188-1992, college: St.Peter's) added 23 points respectively for lost side. NSA (6-13) moved-up to ninth place. Newly promoted Batroun dropped to the tenth position with 14 games lost. They share it with Maristes. NSA will meet at home higher ranked Hoops (#4) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Batroun will play against Maristes (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
NSA: R.Petar 27+5reb+3ast, J.Stefan 21+7reb+3ast, V.Kwame 19+3reb+5ast, K.Christophe 14+9reb+2ast, M.Haddad 5+3reb+1ast, M.Karam 3+1reb
Batroun: D.Washington 23+3reb+3ast, D.Hall 19+8reb+3ast, K.Karl 17+4reb, J.Nurse 8+8reb, A.Kopaly 7+2reb, H.Ghassan 3+6reb+1ast

Al Riyadi - Antonine 104-97

DLBL top team - Al Riyadi (19-0) added another victory to their record on Saturday. This time they beat sixth ranked Antonine (10-9) in Beirut 104-97. Al Riyadi made 30-of-32 free shots (93.8 percent) during the game, while Antonine only scored twelve points from the stripe. Al Riyadi looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. American Maurice Kemp (203-1991, college: ECU) fired 26 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. South Sudanese-American Nuni Omot (204-1994, college: Baylor) chipped in 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists (made all of his ten free throws !!!). American point guard Glenn Cosey (183-1992, college: EKU) produced a double-double by scoring 26 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists and Azerbaijani-American guard Jordan Davis (188-1997, college: N.Colorado) added 18 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The victory was the nineteenth consecutive win for Al Riyadi. Defending champion maintains first place with 19-0 record. Antonine lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the fifth position with nine games lost. They share it with Homentmen and Antranik. Al Riyadi's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beirut to the arena Homentmen.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: K.Maurice 26+7reb+2ast, S.Amir 21+2reb+4ast, O.Nuni 20+6reb+4ast, M.Ali 10+7reb+5ast, B.Perrin 9+3reb+6ast, G.Hayk 8+9reb+1ast
Antonine: G.Cosey 26+6reb+10ast, C.Chapman 20+6reb, J.Davis 18+5reb+8ast, M.Al-Khoury 10+7reb+2ast, E.Rustom 6+1reb, A.Patrick 5+3reb+2ast

Beirut Club - Sagesse 100-110

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Beirut: Sagesse (#2) and Beirut Club (#7). Beirut Club was defeated at home 100-110 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. Sagesse dominated down low during the game scoring 76 of its points in the paint compared to Beirut Club's 34. Sagesse looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists. It was a great evening for the former international forward Youssef Khayat (206-2003, college: BGSU) who led his team to a victory scoring 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. American power forward Paris Bass (207-1995, college: Detroit) helped adding 27 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Five Sagesse players scored in double figures. At the losing side American guard AJ English (192-1992, college: Iona) responded with 52 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds and the other American import Daniel Hamilton (201-1995, college: UConn) scored 7 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Sagesse (16-3) have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain second place having just three points less than leader Al Riyadi. Beirut Club at the other side dropped to the eighth position with ten games lost. Sagesse are looking forward to face Al Markaziyyah (#3) in Jounieh in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Beirut Club will play at home against Antonine (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sagesse: Y.Khayat 30+9reb+6ast, B.Paris 27+14reb+4ast, M.Kevin 15+3reb+3ast, H.Gerard 13+9reb+1ast, M.Khoueiry 11+3reb+3ast, H.Ali 11+4reb+1ast
Beirut Club: A.English 52+6reb+1ast, S.Muhammad 19+9reb, J.Abou Samra 10+4reb+3ast, Z.Alexander 8+2reb, D.Hamilton 7+11reb+12ast, M.Ziadeh 2+2reb

Al Markaziyyah - Homentmen 105-96

Rather predictable result in Jounieh where third ranked Al Markaziyyah (12-7) defeated 5th ranked Homentmen (10-9) 105-96 on Monday. Al Markaziyyah dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Homentmen's 32. Al Markaziyyah looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 16 passes made by Homentmen's players. British center Kavell Bigby-Williams (211-1995, college: LSU) fired a double-double by scoring 31 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists (on 13-of-16 shooting from the field) for the winners. American-Dominican forward Anyeuri Castillo (201-1997, college: USC Aiken) chipped in a double-double by scoring 26 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. American point guard Jordan Stevens (182-1994, college: Midwestern St.) produced a double-double by scoring 38 points (!!!) and 11 assists and the other American import forward Tyler Bey (201-1998, college: Colorado) added 12 points and 12 rebounds (made all of his ten free throws !!!) respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Al Markaziyyah maintains third place with 12-7 record having seven points less than leader Al Riyadi. Loser Homentmen keeps the fifth position with nine games lost. They share it with Antonine and Antranik. Al Markaziyyah will meet league's second-placed Sagesse in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Homentmen's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beirut Al Riyadi.
Top scorers:
Al Markaziyyah: B.Kavell 31+12reb+6ast, C.Anyeuri 26+13reb+8ast, K.El 16+7reb+3ast, M.Donte 11+3reb+7ast, G.Salem 9+1ast, L.Saleh 8+2reb+3ast
Homentmen: J.Stevens 38+3reb+11ast, A.Abdel Massih 17+4reb+1ast, Z.Lofton 15+2reb+2ast, T.Bey 12+12reb+1ast, D.Peter 6+6reb, S.Karim 4+2reb

Sagesse - Maristes 114-95

Not a big story in a game in Beirut where 10th ranked Maristes (5-14) were rolled over by second ranked Sagesse (16-3) 114-95 on Tuesday. Sagesse outrebounded Maristes 48-34 including 17 on the offensive glass. Sagesse looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. The former international forward Youssef Khayat (206-2003, college: BGSU) fired a double-double by scoring 25 points and 18 rebounds for the winners. U.S. Virgin Islands-Puerto Rican guard Walter Hodge (183-1986, college: Florida) chipped in a double-double by scoring 32 points and 10 assists. Four Sagesse players scored in double figures. Sagesse's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Angolan-Spanish forward Julio De Assis (203-1992) produced 31 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and American guard Christian Harvey (185, college: Marian, IN) added 19 points and 7 assists respectively for lost side. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Sagesse. They maintain second place with 16-3 record having just three points less than leader Al Riyadi. Maristes lost their tenth game in a row. They keep the tenth position with 14 games lost. They share it with Batroun. Sagesse will meet at home Al Markaziyyah (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Maristes will play against Batroun (#11) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sagesse: H.Walter 32+3reb+10ast, Y.Khayat 25+18reb+3ast, B.Paris 22+5reb+3ast, M.Khoueiry 11+6reb+3ast, R.Moussa 9+7reb+1ast, H.Gerard 8+2reb+1ast
Maristes: J.De Assis 31+9reb+4ast, C.Harvey 19+4reb+7ast, E.Khatib Hadi 19+2reb+5ast, A.Mostapha 9+5reb, M.Rudy 8+2ast, F.Odukale 5+5reb+1ast

Antranik - Beirut Club 95-70

Another exciting game was again a derby between two teams from Beirut: Antranik (#8) and Beirut Club (#7). Antranik (10-9) crushed visiting Beirut Club (9-10) by 25 points 95-70. Antranik outrebounded Beirut Club 41-29 including a 34-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. Antranik players were unselfish on offense dishing 24 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American Christian Brown (198-2000, college: Tennessee St.) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 12 rebounds (made all of his eight free throws). His fellow American import point guard Jeremiah Gambrell Jr (190-2000, college: Alcorn St., agency: 0z Sports Agency) accounted for 25 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals for the winning side. Four Antranik players scored in double figures. American Shabazz Muhammad (198-1992, college: UCLA) came up with 19 points and 6 rebounds and Alexander Zanbaka (196-2002) added 12 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Beirut Club 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. Antranik moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Homentmen and Antonine. Beirut Club at the other side dropped to the eighth position with ten games lost. Antranik will play against bottom-ranked Tadamon (#12) in Hrajel in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Beirut Club will play at home against Antonine (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Antranik: B.Christian 30+12reb+2ast, G.Jeremiah 25+7reb+8ast, R.Guy 18+5reb+6ast, K.Kevork 11+1reb+4ast, M.Majur 7+13reb+1ast, S.Gabriel 2+2reb+2ast
Beirut Club: S.Muhammad 19+6reb, Z.Alexander 12+6reb+2ast, J.Zaloum 10+2reb+5ast, D.Hamilton 9+5reb+6ast, J.Abou Samra 8+2reb+4ast, A.English 4+2reb+2ast