QBL Round 8 (Regular Season): Derby game ends with Al Sadd's defeat of Al Gharafa

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Doha: Al Sadd (#3) and Al Gharafa (#7). Al Gharafa was smashed at home by 23 points 79-102 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. Al Sadd outrebounded Al Gharafa 40-26 including 27 on the defensive glass. Al Sadd looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. South Sudanese-Australian forward Deng Adel (201-1997, college: Louisville) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 29 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. American guard Steven Green (196-1993, college: OKBU) contributed with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Al Sadd's coach Vassilis Bratsiakos felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Josh Hall (206-2000) replied with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for Al Gharafa. Al Sadd maintains third position with 5-2 record behind leader Al Arabi. Al Gharafa at the other side keeps the seventh place with five games lost. Al Sadd's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Rayyan.
An interesting game for Al Rayyan (6-1) which hosted in Doha 4th ranked Al Wakrah (4-3). Second ranked Al Rayyan managed to get a 14-point victory 97-83. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Malik Curry (185-1999, college: WVU) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) and Tyler Harris who added 23 points and 5 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) during the contest. American-Haitian forward Wes Alcegaire (198-1994, college: BGSU, agency: BIG) responded with 31 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!). Al Rayyan maintains second position with 6-1 record having just one point less than leader Al Arabi. Al Wakrah at the other side keeps the fourth place with three games lost. They share the position with Al Shamal. Al Rayyan's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena Al Sadd.
Al Khor's fans can finally celebrate the first win of their team after six consecutive losses. They used home court advantage to defeat Qatar Club (0-7) 77-70 on Thursday. The winners were led by Jesse Jones who had that evening a double-double by scoring 25 points and 11 rebounds. Even a double-double of 36 points (!!!) and 12 rebounds (was perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line !!!) by Dejan Janjic did not help to save the game for Qatar Club. Al Khor maintains eighth position with 1-6 record. It was Qatar Club's seventh loss in a row. They still close the standings with seven games lost. Al Khor will meet at home higher ranked Al Ahli (#6) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Qatar 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 Gharafa.




Al Gharafa - Al Sadd 79-102

The most interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Doha: Al Sadd (#3) and Al Gharafa (#7). Al Gharafa was smashed at home by 23 points 79-102 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. Al Sadd outrebounded Al Gharafa 40-26 including 27 on the defensive glass. Al Sadd looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. South Sudanese-Australian forward Deng Adel (201-1997, college: Louisville) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 29 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. American guard Steven Green (196-1993, college: OKBU) contributed with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Five Al Sadd players scored in double figures. Al Sadd's coach Vassilis Bratsiakos felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Josh Hall (206-2000) replied with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and added 21 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Al Gharafa. Al Sadd maintains third position with 5-2 record behind leader Al Arabi. Al Gharafa at the other side keeps the seventh place with five games lost. Al Sadd's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Rayyan.
Top scorers:
Al Sadd: A.Deng 29+10reb+4ast, G.Steven 23+8reb+6ast, M.Fouda 16+3reb+10ast, T.Malik 12+3reb+1ast, N.Seydou 10+13reb, B.Christos 10+1reb+3ast
Al Gharafa: J.Hall 25+7reb+6ast, M.Nedim 21+8reb+1ast, R.Williams 13+4reb+5ast, Y.Azam 6+1reb+1ast, M.Mohd 6+6reb, A.Raslan 5+3ast

Al Khor - Qatar Club 77-70

Al Khor's fans can finally celebrate the first win of their team after six consecutive losses. They used home court advantage to defeat Qatar Club (0-7) 77-70 on Thursday. Al Khor made 16-of-18 free shots (88.9 percent) during the game. The winners were led by American point guard Jesse Jones (183, college: Bridgeport) who had that evening a double-double by scoring 25 points and 11 rebounds and Italian-Serbian Lazar Trunic (198-2000) supported him with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Even a double-double of 36 points (!!!) and 12 rebounds (was perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line !!!) by American guard Malik Curry (185-1999, college: WVU) did not help to save the game for Qatar Club. His fellow American import forward Terrence Thompson (203-1994, college: Wake Forest) added 11 points and 14 rebounds for the guests. Al Khor maintains eighth position with 1-6 record. It was Qatar Club's seventh loss in a row. They still close the standings with seven games lost. Al Khor will meet at home higher ranked Al Ahli (#6) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Qatar 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 Gharafa.
Top scorers:
Al Khor: J.Jesse 25+11reb+3ast, T.Lazar 22+7reb+4ast, K.Naja 14+4reb+3ast, M.Koami 7+1reb+1ast, S.Ghanem 7+2reb+3ast, W.Naja 2+2reb+1ast
Qatar Club: J.Dejan 36+12reb+2ast, A.Mitrovic 13+5reb+1ast, T.Thompson 11+14reb+1ast, M.Omar 6+1reb+1ast, A.Adam 2, S.Asem 2+2reb

Al Rayyan - Al Wakrah 97-83

An interesting game for Al Rayyan (6-1) which hosted in Doha 4th ranked Al Wakrah (4-3). Second ranked Al Rayyan managed to get a 14-point victory 97-83. Al Rayyan dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Al Wakrah's 40. Al Rayyan players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Malik Curry (185-1999, college: WVU) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) and international center Tyler Harris (208-1993, college: Auburn) who added 23 points and 5 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) during the contest. Harris is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Al Rayyan players scored in double figures. American-Haitian forward Wes Alcegaire (198-1994, college: BGSU, agency: BIG) responded with 31 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!) and American guard Aaron Mitchell (188-1989, college: Longwood) produced a double-double by scoring 23 points and 15 rebounds. Al Rayyan maintains second position with 6-1 record having just one point less than leader Al Arabi. Al Wakrah at the other side keeps the fourth place with three games lost. They share the position with Al Shamal. Al Rayyan's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena Al Sadd.
Top scorers:
Al Rayyan: H.Tyler 23+5reb+3ast, C.Malik 22+8reb+10ast, A.Mousa 16+4reb+3ast, B.Rion 15+6reb+1ast, F.Rolands 7+6reb+3ast, B.Magassa 4+3reb
Al Wakrah: W.Alcegaire 31+5reb+7ast, A.Mitchell 23+15reb+3ast, B.Camara 10+5reb+3ast, T.Momar 8+4reb+1ast, J.Mubarak 7+2reb+1ast, M.Abdullah 2+7reb+2ast