SBL Round 11: Al Fateh defeat Al Ahly in the closest game of the week

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

The most exciting game of round 11 in the SBL took place in Al Hasa. This derby game ended with only one-point defeat on the road of 7th ranked Al Ahly (4-6) to sixth ranked Al Fateh (6-5) 95-94 on Monday evening. Al Fateh made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. Strangely Al Ahly outrebounded Al Fateh 50-24 including a 24-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. 24 personal fouls committed by Al Ahly helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a great evening for Nigerian-American guard Michael Efevberha (195-84, college: CSUN) who led his team to a victory scoring 35 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!). The former international point guard Mohammed Al-Saqer (179-85) helped adding 24 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. American forward Steve Taylor Jr. (206-93, college: Toledo) responded with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 29 rebounds. Al Fateh have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain sixth place with 6-5 record, which they share with Al Ansar. Al Ahly lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the eighth position with six games lost. Al Fateh is looking forward to face Al Nahda (#10) in Al Khobar in the next round. Al Ahly will have a break next round.
Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Riyadh: Al Hilal (#1) and Al Nasr (#2). Al Hilal (10-2) crushed visiting Al Nasr (9-2) by 27 points 98-71. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Nasr. It was a key game for the top position in the league. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 32 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Hashem Abbas accounted for 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) came up with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 15 rebounds for Al Nasr in the defeat. Al Hilal have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain first place with 10-2 record. Defending champion Al Nasr keeps the second position with two games lost. They share it with Ohod. Al Hilal will play against Al Ansar (#7) in Medina in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Al Nasr will play on the road against Abha (#12) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Bottom-ranked Abha (0-11) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their 11th consecutive match to fourth ranked Al Ittihad (8-3) 93-48 on Monday evening. The best player for the winners was Mathna Almarwani who scored 35 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds. Hamza Aiouz produced 15 points and 8 rebounds for the hosts. 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 Ittihad maintains fourth place with 8-3 record. Abha lost their eleventh game in a row. Newly promoted team still closes the standings with 11 games lost. Al Ittihad will meet Al Wehda (#5) in the next round. Abha will play against the league's second-placed Al Nasr (#2) and hopes to get finally their first victory.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 11: Ohod won against Duba Club on the opponent's court 86-84. Al Ansar outscored Al Salam in a home game 93-72. Al Nahda recorded a loss to Al Wehda on the road 82-67.

Duba Club - Ohod 84-86

Very expected game in Tabuk where 11th ranked Duba Club (1-10) was edged by third ranked Ohod (9-2) 86-84 on Monday. The best player for the winners was American guard Shane Rector (188-94, college: Utah St.) who scored 41 points (!!!), 7 rebounds and 4 assists. The former international point guard Fahad Belal (181-91) chipped in 24 points and 6 rebounds. Ohod's coach Fuad Abou Chakra used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. Ahmed Aldosoei produced a double-double by scoring 32 points and 10 rebounds and French guard Jonathan Dogbo (193-91, college: Gannon) added 25 points and 8 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Ohod moved-up to second place, which they share with Al Nasr. Duba Club lost their fourth game in a row. Newly promoted team keeps the eleventh position with ten games lost. Ohod will meet at home Al Salam (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Duba Club will play against the league's leader Al Hilal and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Ohod: S.Rector 41+7reb+4ast, F.Belal 24+6reb, K.Boukichou 7+2reb+2ast, A.Ahmed 5+5reb, A.Hassan 4+1reb, A.Almukhtar 3+2reb
Duba Club: A.Ahmed 32+10reb, J.Dogbo 25+8reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 12+8reb+2ast, A.Osama 8+8reb+1ast, A.Abdulmajeed 4, F.Hussain 3+1ast

Abha - Al Ittihad 48-93

Bottom-ranked Abha (0-11) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their 11th consecutive match to fourth ranked Al Ittihad (8-3) 93-48 on Monday evening. Al Ittihad dominated down low during the game scoring 42 of its points in the paint compared to Abha's 22. They outrebounded Abha 45-32 including 33 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was the former international Mathna Almarwani (186-92) who scored 35 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds. Tunisian point guard Omar Abada (189-93) chipped in 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Al Ittihad players scored in double figures. Tunisian Hamza Aiouz (-89) produced 15 points and 8 rebounds and guard Mohaned Shabin added 9 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the hosts. 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 Ittihad maintains fourth place with 8-3 record. Abha lost their eleventh game in a row. Newly promoted team still closes the standings with 11 games lost. Al Ittihad will meet Al Wehda (#5) in the next round. Abha will play against the league's second-placed Al Nasr (#2) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Ittihad: M.Almarwani 35+5reb+3ast, O.Abada 20+9reb+4ast, M.Abdullah 11+5ast, F.Abdullah 10+12reb+2ast, A.Khalid 7+4reb, A.Abdullah 5+7reb
Abha: H.Aiouz 15+8reb+1ast, S.Mohaned 9+6reb+2ast, A.Abdullah 8+2reb, M.Fahad 6+5reb, A.Sami 5+5reb+1ast, A.Tareq 3+2reb+1ast

Al Hilal - Al Nasr 98-71

Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Riyadh: Al Hilal (#1) and Al Nasr (#2). Al Hilal (10-2) crushed visiting Al Nasr (9-2) by 27 points 98-71. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Nasr. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Al Hilal dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Al Nasr's 28. They outrebounded Al Nasr 51-38 including 36 on the defensive glass. Al Hilal players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 32 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Palestinian-Jordanian power forward Hashem Abbas (198, college: Bridgeport) accounted for 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. Five Al Hilal players scored in double figures. American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) came up with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 15 rebounds and the former international forward Musab Kadi (-99) added 19 points respectively for Al Nasr in the defeat. Al Hilal have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain first place with 10-2 record. Defending champion Al Nasr keeps the second position with two games lost. They share it with Ohod. Al Hilal will play against Al Ansar (#7) in Medina in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Al Nasr will play on the road against Abha (#12) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Al Hilal: A.Scott 32+14reb+6ast, H.Abbas 24+8reb+5ast, N.Alabsi 14+3reb+3ast, A.Mohammed 13+14reb+4ast, O.Albargawi 10+6reb+3ast, A.Adel 3+1reb
Al Nasr: C.Johnson 29+15reb+3ast, K.Musab 19+4reb, J.Al Kabe 9+4reb+1ast, A.Ayoub 4+2reb+2ast, K.Abdel-Gabar 4+10reb+5ast, T.Almuhanna 3+2reb+4ast

Al Ansar - Al Salam 93-72

Rather predictable result in Medina where seventh ranked Al Ansar (6-5) smashed 9th ranked Al Salam (4-7) 93-72 on Monday. The best player for the winners was American-Armenian center Todd OBrien (211-89, college: UAB) who had a double-double by scoring 31 points and 17 rebounds. Jordanian guard Sami Bzai (190-94, college: SE Oklahoma) chipped in 23 points and 6 rebounds. Bzai is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Al Ansar players scored in double figures. American forward Nick Stover (198-93, college: USA) produced 33 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds and Algerian center Touhami Ghezzoul (209-87, college: N.Dakota St.) added 18 points, 20 rebounds and 6 blocks respectively for the guests. Al Ansar moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Al Fateh. Newly promoted Al Salam keeps the ninth position with seven games lost. Al Ansar will meet league's leader Al Hilal in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Al Salam will play against Ohod (#3) in Medina and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Ansar: T.O'Brien 31+17reb+2ast, S.Bzai 23+6reb+3ast, Y.Fallatah 16+3reb+1ast, B.Ayman 12+5reb+2ast, A.Salman 7+2reb+5ast, A.Ahmed 4+1reb
Al Salam: N.Stover 33+7reb+2ast, T.Ghezzoul 18+20reb+2ast, S.Rashad 8+3reb+1ast, H.Alnamer 5+1reb+5ast, A.Bader 5+3reb+2ast, I.Mohammed 3+1reb+2ast

Al Wehda - Al Nahda 82-67

Not a big story in a game in Mecca where 10th ranked Al Nahda (2-9) was defeated by fifth ranked Al Wehda (7-4) 82-67 on Monday. Al Wehda dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Al Nahda's 34. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. The best player for the winners was American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-87, college: Tennessee) who had a double-double by scoring 23 points and 17 rebounds. The former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-89) chipped in a double-double by scoring 19 points and 12 rebounds. American center Malik Wineglass (203-93, college: Harris-Stowe St.) produced a double-double by scoring 22 points and 20 rebounds and Abdulrahman Kurdi added 13 points and 9 rebounds respectively for the guests. Al Wehda maintains fifth place with 7-4 record. Al Nahda at the other side keeps the tenth position with nine games lost. Al Wehda will meet at home higher ranked Al Ittihad (#4) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Al Nahda will play against Al Fateh (#6) in Al Hasa and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Wehda: W.Chism 23+17reb+1ast, M.AlMarwani 19+12reb+3ast, R.Gunday 17+3reb+8ast, B.Husam 9+7reb+5ast, A.Mohammed 6+2reb+4ast, M.Thamer 4+5reb
Al Nahda: M.Wineglass 22+20reb, K.Marwan 15+3reb+1ast, K.Abdulrahman 13+9reb+2ast, F.Fahad 9+3reb+5ast, A.Saad 8+2reb+2ast, A.Abdullah Othman 0

Al Fateh - Al Ahly 95-94

The most exciting game of round 11 in the SBL took place in Al Hasa. This derby game ended with only one-point defeat on the road of 7th ranked Al Ahly (4-6) to sixth ranked Al Fateh (6-5) 95-94 on Monday evening. Al Fateh made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. Strangely Al Ahly outrebounded Al Fateh 50-24 including a 24-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. 24 personal fouls committed by Al Ahly helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a great evening for Nigerian-American guard Michael Efevberha (195-84, college: CSUN) who led his team to a victory scoring 35 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!). The former international point guard Mohammed Al-Saqer (179-85) helped adding 24 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. American forward Steve Taylor Jr. (206-93, college: Toledo) responded with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 29 rebounds and Canadian-Jordanian guard Freddy Ibrahim (190-96, college: Tampa) produced a double-double by scoring 15 points, 14 assists and 5 steals. Four Al Ahly players scored in double figures. Al Fateh have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain sixth place with 6-5 record, which they share with Al Ansar. Al Ahly lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the eighth position with six games lost. Al Fateh is looking forward to face Al Nahda (#10) in Al Khobar in the next round. Al Ahly will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: M.Efevberha 35+7reb+1ast, M.Al-Saqer 24+5reb+9ast, M.Harat 22+9reb+5ast, A.Khodeir Ali 8+1reb, A.Moussaad Mohamad 4, A.Al Marzouq 2+2reb
Al Ahly: S.Taylor Jr. 28+29reb, A.Shubayli 19+5reb+3ast, F.Ibrahim 15+4reb+14ast, A.Abdulrahman 11+3reb, A.Abdulrahman 9+2reb+1ast, N.Althalabi 8+4reb+3ast



Tags : MICHAEL EFEVBERHA, AL FATEH AL HASA, SAUDI ARABIAN BASKETBALL