D1 Round 5: Al Wakrah keeps a leadership position

Here is the last round review presented by ESL.

The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Al Wakrah as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Al Wakrah defeated 4th placed Al Ahli at home 76-72. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Ahli. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Al Wakrah made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Al Ahli 47-25 including a 33-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. The game was dominated by American players. The best player for the winners was Julius Coles (193-89, college: Canisius) who had a double-double by scoring 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line). Forward Tevin Glass (206-94, college: ETSU) chipped in 17 points and 16 rebounds. Guard Louis Munks (190-90, college: PVAMU, agency: Interperformances) produced 27 points and 5 steals for the guests. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Qatar Club. Al Ahli at the other side dropped to the fifth place with two games lost. Al Ahli will play next round against strong Qatar Sports Club trying to get back on the winning streak. It will be a derby game for which supporters look forward to, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena of Qatar Sports Club. Al Wakrah will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Al Shamal in Doha.
Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Doha: Al Gharafa (#7) and Al Shamal (#5). Al Gharafa (1-3) won against visiting Al Shamal (2-2) 89-85. International swingman Abdulrahman Saad (185-96) orchestrated the victory by scoring 26 points. Aaron Nelson contributed with 24 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. American guard Aaron Mitchell (188-89, college: Longwood) answered with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for Al Shamal. Al Gharafa maintains seventh place with 1-3 record. Defending champion Al Shamal dropped to the sixth position with two games lost. Al Gharafa's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Sadd.
Another exciting game was again a derby between two local teams from Doha: Al Rayyan (#6) and Al Sadd (#8). Al Rayyan (3-1) crushed visiting Al Sadd (0-4) by 42 points 103-61. Tony Farmer stepped up with a double-double by scoring 20 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Babacar Dieng responded with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Al Rayyan moved-up to third place, which they share with Al Arabi. Loser Al Sadd still closes the standings with four games lost. Al Rayyan's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Arabi.
Bottom-ranked Al Khor (0-5) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 85-79 loss to second ranked Qatar Sports Club (4-1) in Al Khor. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. Jonathan Lee nailed a double-double by scoring 27 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists for the winning side. Qatar Sports Club have a solid series of four victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Wakrah. Al Khor at the other side still closes the standings with five games lost. Qatar Sports Club's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Ahli.

The best stats of 5th round was 27 points and 20 rebounds by Khobi Williamson of Al Khor.

Al Gharafa - Al Shamal 89-85

Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Doha: Al Gharafa (#7) and Al Shamal (#5). Al Gharafa (1-3) won against visiting Al Shamal (2-2) 89-85. Al Gharafa made 22-of-29 charity shots (75.9 percent) during the game. International swingman Abdulrahman Saad (185-96) orchestrated the victory by scoring 26 points. American forward Aaron Nelson (205-91, college: S.Indiana) contributed with 24 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. American guard Aaron Mitchell (188-89, college: Longwood) answered with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and Georgian Mikhail Berishvili (204-87) added 22 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for Al Shamal. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Al Gharafa maintains seventh place with 1-3 record. Defending champion Al Shamal dropped to the sixth position with two games lost. Al Gharafa's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Sadd.
Top scorers:
Al Shamal: A.Mitchell 29+9reb+5ast, M.Berishvili 22+5reb+2ast, F.Avdic 11+3reb+2ast, G.Tsintsadze 11+3reb+7ast, E.Mujkic 8+6reb+1ast, O.Salem 4+6reb
Al Gharafa: A.Saad 26+4reb+3ast, A.Nelson 24+7reb+2ast, J.Caldwell 21+8reb+1ast, D.Pape 12+6reb+6ast, T.Bussey 6+7reb+6ast, N.Basil 0

Al Rayyan - Al Sadd 103-61

Another exciting game was again a derby between two local teams from Doha: Al Rayyan (#6) and Al Sadd (#8). Al Rayyan (3-1) crushed visiting Al Sadd (0-4) by 42 points 103-61. Al Rayyan dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Al Sadd's 32. They outrebounded Al Sadd 56-27 including a 40-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Al Rayyan looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by Al Sadd's players. American forward Tony Farmer (201-94, college: Lee JC) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 20 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and his fellow American import forward Carl Montgomery (203-89, college: Chicago St.) chipped in 21 points and 15 rebounds (on 9-of-10 shooting from the field). Five Al Rayyan players scored in double figures. Forward Babacar Dieng (198-97) responded with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals and the former international swingman Yassin Taha (192-92) scored 2 points and 13 rebounds. Al Rayyan moved-up to third place, which they share with Al Arabi. Loser Al Sadd still closes the standings with four games lost. Al Rayyan's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Arabi.
Top scorers:
Al Sadd: B.Dieng 25+10reb+4ast, A.Hassan 11+2ast, A.Faisal 11, O.Saad 8+3reb+1ast, K.Ahmed 4+1reb, Y.Taha 2+13reb
Al Rayyan: C.Montgomery 21+15reb, T.Farmer 20+15reb+4ast, A.Abdelhaleem 13+11reb+5ast, A.Mohamad 12+1reb+2ast, E.Lockett 11+6reb+8ast, M.Abdelaziz ElSayed 11+2reb+6ast

Al Wakrah - Al Ahli 76-72

The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Al Wakrah as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Al Wakrah defeated 4th placed Al Ahli at home 76-72. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Ahli. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Al Wakrah made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Al Ahli 47-25 including a 33-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. The game was dominated by American players. The best player for the winners was Julius Coles (193-89, college: Canisius) who had a double-double by scoring 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line). Forward Tevin Glass (206-94, college: ETSU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 17 points and 16 rebounds. Guard Louis Munks (190-90, college: PVAMU, agency: Interperformances) produced 27 points and 5 steals and guard Jeff Newberry (188-92, college: Oklahoma St.) added 18 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists respectively for the guests. Four Al Ahli players scored in double figures. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Qatar Club. Al Ahli at the other side dropped to the fifth place with two games lost. Al Ahli will play next round against strong Qatar Sports Club trying to get back on the winning streak. It will be a derby game for which supporters look forward to, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena of Qatar Sports Club. Al Wakrah will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Al Shamal in Doha.
Top scorers:
Al Ahli: L.Munks 27+4reb+2ast, J.Newberry 18+6reb+7ast, M.Ouiri 11+4reb+2ast, A.Rountree III 10+3reb+2ast, S.Ndoye 2+4reb, H.Kurtovic 2+2reb
Al Wakrah: J.Coles 32+12reb+8ast, M.Abdul-Aleem 19+4reb+2ast, T.Glass 17+16reb+2ast, A.Al-Darwish 6+4reb+1ast, E.Saeed 2+8reb, A.Faraj 0

Al Khor - Qatar Club 79-85

Bottom-ranked Al Khor (0-5) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 85-79 loss to second ranked Qatar Sports Club (4-1) in Al Khor. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. Strangely Al Khor outrebounded Qatar Sports Club 47-34 including 18 on the offensive glass. American point guard Jonathan Lee (188-90, college: Northeastern) nailed a double-double by scoring 27 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists for the winning side and his fellow American import guard Kevin Bracy-Davis (201-95, college: Davis & Elkins) accounted for 32 points and 7 rebounds. Aladji-Bobo Magassa came up with a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 14 rebounds and American center Khobi Williamson (201-92, college: Hampden-Sydney) added 27 points and 20 rebounds respectively for Al Khor in the defeat. Qatar Sports Club have a solid series of four victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Wakrah. Al Khor at the other side still closes the standings with five games lost. Qatar Sports Club's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Ahli.
Top scorers:
Al Khor: A.Bobo Magassa 34+14reb+1ast, K.Williamson 27+20reb+2ast, M.Gibbs 10+6reb+7ast, M.Lashin 6+5reb+1ast, A.Al-Yousif 2+1reb+3ast, E.Mohammed 0+3ast
Qatar Club: K.Bracy-Davis 32+7reb+2ast, J.Lee 27+6reb+11ast, A.Mahmoud 9+6reb, J.Tuoyo 9+6reb+3ast, S.Khaled 6+1reb+1ast, A.Diop 2+7reb



Tags : JULIUS COLES, AL WAKRAH, QATARI BASKETBALL