QBL Round 12 (Regular Season): Qatar Club is defeated by Al Ahli in a derby game

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 Ahli D. (#4) and Qatar Club (#7). Al Ahli D. (7-4) won against visiting Qatar Club (2-9) 98-83. Al Ahli dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Qatar Club's 32. Worth to mention a great performance of American power forward Raekwon Rogers (203-1999, college: Wagner, agency: One Motive Sports) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 30 points and 15 rebounds and the other American import center Taylor Adway (205-1996, college: Ferris St.) who added 16 points and 9 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line) during the contest. Al Ahli D.'s coach Thomas Nikou used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was American-Jamaican guard Josh Nicholas (190-1998, college: ULM) with 31 points and 6 assists. Al Ahli have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain fourth position with 7-4 record. Qatar Club at the other side keeps the seventh place with nine games lost. They share the position with Al Gharafa. Al Ahli are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Al Khor (#9) at home in the next round where they are favorite. Qatar Club's supporters also look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena Al Arabi.
Another interesting game was again a derby between two teams from Doha: Al Arabi (#2) and Al Shamal (#6). Al Arabi (9-2) won against visiting Al Shamal (5-6) 91-83. The winners were led by Bulgarian-American point guard Dee Bost (189-1989, college: MSU) who had that evening a triple-double by scoring 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists and Mustafa Ali supported him with 26 points and 4 assists. Even 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists by American guard Shane Rector (188-1994, college: Utah St.) did not help to save the game for Al Shamal. Defending champion maintains second position with 9-2 record having just one point less than leader Al Rayyan. Al Shamal at the other side keeps the sixth place with six games lost. Al Arabi's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Qatar Club.
The game in Doha was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Al Wakrah (6-5) played at the court of 7th ranked Al Gharafa (2-9). Al Wakrah defeated Al Gharafa 98-85 on Thursday. The best player for the winners was Aaron Mitchell who had a double-double by scoring 28 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was Josh Hall who recorded a double-double by scoring 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Al Wakrah maintains fifth position with 6-5 record. Al Gharafa lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with nine games lost. They share the position with Qatar Club. Al Wakrah will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Al Gharafa's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena Al Shamal.

In the last game of round 12 Al Sadd won against Al Khor on the opponent's court 101-91.



Al Ahli D. - Qatar Club 98-83

The most interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Doha: Al Ahli D. (#4) and Qatar Club (#7). Al Ahli D. (7-4) won against visiting Qatar Club (2-9) 98-83. Al Ahli dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Qatar Club's 32. Worth to mention a great performance of American power forward Raekwon Rogers (203-1999, college: Wagner, agency: One Motive Sports) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 30 points and 15 rebounds and the other American import center Taylor Adway (205-1996, college: Ferris St.) who added 16 points and 9 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line) during the contest. Rogers is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Al Ahli D. players scored in double figures. Al Ahli D.'s coach Thomas Nikou used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was American-Jamaican guard Josh Nicholas (190-1998, college: ULM) with 31 points and 6 assists and produced a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds. Al Ahli have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain fourth position with 7-4 record. Qatar Club at the other side keeps the seventh place with nine games lost. They share the position with Al Gharafa. Al Ahli are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Al Khor (#9) at home in the next round where they are favorite. Qatar Club's supporters also look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena Al Arabi.
Top scorers:
Qatar Club: J.Nicholas 31+4reb+6ast, A.Mitrovic 25+5reb+2ast, J.Dejan 21+10reb+3ast, A.Adam 4+1reb, K.Kolako 2+1reb, T.Thompson 0+6reb
Al Ahli D.: R.Raekwon 30+15reb+1ast, M.Darwish 18+2reb+4ast, A.Taylor 16+9reb, J.Nigel 14+2reb+3ast, M.Abbasher 9+7reb+2ast, E.Radi 5+1reb

Al Khor - Al Sadd 91-101

Very expected game when 9th ranked Al Khor (1-9) was defeated at home by third ranked Al Sadd (7-3) 101-91 on Wednesday. Al Sadd looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. The best player for the winners was American center Malik Toppin (206-1997, college: Salem) who had a double-double by scoring 29 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists (on 12-of-14 shooting from the field). South Sudanese-Australian forward Deng Adel (201-1997, college: Louisville) chipped in 22 points and 5 assists. Toppin is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Five Al Sadd players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American point guard Jesse Jones (183, college: Bridgeport) who recorded 34 points (!!!), 7 assists and 4 steals (went 11 for 11 at the free throw line !!!) and Italian-Serbian Lazar Trunic (198-2000) added 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists respectively. Al Sadd maintains third position with 7-3 record having just two points less than leader Al Rayyan. Al Khor lost third consecutive game. They stay at the bottom place with nine games lost. Al Sadd's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Al Rayyan.
Top scorers:
Al Khor: J.Jones 34+3reb+7ast, L.Trunic 25+8reb+4ast, D.Djibrirou 22+6reb+1ast, K.Mohamed 5+1reb, G.Shawki 3+4reb+2ast, D.Abdoukhader 2+3reb+1ast
Al Sadd: T.Malik 29+12reb+4ast, A.Deng 22+4reb+5ast, O.Saad 15+3reb+3ast, B.Christos 13+4reb+3ast, M.Fouda 13+1reb+8ast, G.Steven 7+3reb+3ast

Al Arabi - Al Shamal 91-83

Another interesting game was again a derby between two teams from Doha: Al Arabi (#2) and Al Shamal (#6). Al Arabi (9-2) won against visiting Al Shamal (5-6) 91-83. Al Arabi dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Al Shamal's 26. Al Arabi players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. The winners were led by Bulgarian-American point guard Dee Bost (189-1989, college: MSU) who had that evening a triple-double by scoring 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists and Bahrain point guard Mustafa Ali (177-2002) supported him with 26 points and 4 assists. Four Al Arabi players scored in double figures. Even 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists by American guard Shane Rector (188-1994, college: Utah St.) did not help to save the game for Al Shamal. The other his fellow American import import center Taylor Adway (205-1996, college: Ferris St.) added 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Defending champion maintains second position with 9-2 record having just one point less than leader Al Rayyan. Al Shamal at the other side keeps the sixth place with six games lost. Al Arabi's supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Doha Qatar Club.
Top scorers:
Al Shamal: S.Rector 25+9reb+5ast, H.Ghassan 20+5reb+5ast, T.Crump 13+6reb+4ast, N.Alioune 9+5reb, T.Baxter Jr. 8+5reb+2ast, C.Christian 8+2reb+2ast
Al Arabi: A.Mustafa 26+1reb+4ast, D.Sindou 17+2reb+1ast, O.Dieng 12+10reb+1ast, B.Dee 12+10reb+11ast, K.Abdi 9+2reb+1ast, Y.Abdelrahman 8+4reb

Al Gharafa - Al Wakrah 85-98

The game in Doha was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Al Wakrah (6-5) played at the court of 7th ranked Al Gharafa (2-9). Al Wakrah defeated Al Gharafa 98-85 on Thursday. Al Wakrah made 21-of-24 free shots (87.5 percent) during the game, while Al Gharafa only scored two points from the stripe. It was a great shooting night for Al Wakrah especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 55.0 percentage. The best player for the winners was American guard Aaron Mitchell (188-1989, college: Longwood) who had a double-double by scoring 28 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists. American-Mali guard Bakary Camara (198-1998, college: Bridgeport) chipped in 29 points and 7 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Josh Hall (206-2000) who recorded a double-double by scoring 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists and Colombian-Dominican point guard Jesse Zarzuela (188, college: Oregon) added 17 points and 5 assists respectively. Four Al Wakrah and five Al Gharafa players scored in double figures. Al Wakrah maintains fifth position with 6-5 record. Al Gharafa lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with nine games lost. They share the position with Qatar Club. Al Wakrah will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Al Gharafa's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Doha to the arena Al Shamal.
Top scorers:
Al Gharafa: J.Hall 24+11reb+4ast, J.Zarzuela 17+2reb+5ast, R.Williams 13+4reb+2ast, M.Mohd 12+6reb+1ast, M.Nedim 10+6reb+3ast, A.Raslan 6+1reb+3ast
Al Wakrah: C.Bakary 29+3reb+7ast, M.Aaron 28+17reb+7ast, A.Wes 21+3reb+2ast, M.Talla 14+1reb, N.Souleye 4+7reb+1ast, M.Jama 2+3reb+1ast