SBL Round 14: No surprise as #1 Al Hilal defeat Abha

The round 14 was rather boring as all games ended with very predictable results. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

SBL top team - Al Hilal (14-3) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Abha (0-14) 134-80. Al Hilal dominated down low during the game scoring 74 of its points in the paint compared to Abha's 48. Al Hilal forced 20 Abha turnovers and outrebounded them 50-31 including a 36-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Abha's players. American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) had a triple-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 14 rebounds, 18 assists and 6 steals to lead the charge for the winners and international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-98) chipped in 24 points and 15 rebounds during the contest. Al Hilal's coach Stratos Koukoulekidis felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American center Scott Sill (206-92, college: Delaware St.) responded with a double-double by scoring 24 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Al Hilal maintains first position with 14-3 record. Newly promoted Abha still closes the standings with 14 games lost. Al Hilal are looking forward to face Al Wehda (#5) in Mecca in the next round. Abha will play on the road against Al Salam (#8) in Al-Awamiyah and hopes to get finally their first victory.
The game in Al Hasa was also worth to mention about. Second ranked Al Nasr (12-2) played at the court of 7th ranked Al Fateh (7-7). Al Nasr defeated Al Fateh 88-78. American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) notched a double-double by scoring 24 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the effort and Musab Kadi supported him with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Even a double-double of 28 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists by Algerian forward Mohamed Harat (198-90) did not help to save the game for Al Fateh. Al Nasr have a solid three-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains second position with 12-2 record having five points less than leader Al Hilal, which they share with Ohod. Al Fateh at the other side dropped to the sixth place with seven games lost. They share the position with Al Ansar. Al Nasr will play against Duba Club (#11) in Tabuk in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Fateh will play on the road against Al Ansar (#7) in Medina and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 14: Al Ittihad won against Duba Club on the opponent's court 75-65. Al Ahly unfortunately lost to Al Salam in a home game 72-77. Al Ansar recorded a loss to Al Wehda on the road 70-79. Ohod crushed Al Nahda on its own court 91-72.

Abha - Al Hilal 80-134

SBL top team - Al Hilal (14-3) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Abha (0-14) 134-80. Al Hilal dominated down low during the game scoring 74 of its points in the paint compared to Abha's 48. Al Hilal forced 20 Abha turnovers and outrebounded them 50-31 including a 36-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Abha's players. American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) had a triple-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 14 rebounds, 18 assists and 6 steals to lead the charge for the winners and international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-98) chipped in 24 points and 15 rebounds during the contest. Five Al Hilal players scored in double figures. Al Hilal's coach Stratos Koukoulekidis felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American center Scott Sill (206-92, college: Delaware St.) responded with a double-double by scoring 24 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and Hesham Al Shareef scored 25 points and 8 rebounds. Al Hilal maintains first position with 14-3 record. Newly promoted Abha still closes the standings with 14 games lost. Al Hilal are looking forward to face Al Wehda (#5) in Mecca in the next round. Abha will play on the road against Al Salam (#8) in Al-Awamiyah and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Abha: A.Shareef Hesham 25+8reb, S.Sill 24+12reb+5ast, A.Abdullah 16+4reb, S.Mohaned 7+2reb+4ast, A.Tareq 4, A.Rayan 4+3reb+2ast
Al Hilal: A.Scott 33+14reb+18ast, H.Abbas 26+8reb+3ast, A.Mohammed 24+15reb+2ast, N.Alabsi 17+1ast, A.Adel 14+1reb, H.Zakaria 7+5reb

Duba Club - Al Ittihad 65-75

Very expected game in Tabuk where 11th ranked Duba Club (2-12) was defeated by fourth ranked Al Ittihad (11-3) 75-65. Nigerian-American power forward Maxie Esho (206-91, college: UMass) notched a double-double by scoring 19 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the effort and Tunisian point guard Omar Abada (189-93) supported him with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Al Ittihad players scored in double figures. Even 7 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists by Osama Almuwallad did not help to save the game for Duba Club. Abdulmajeed Alshanqiti added 15 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) for the hosts. Al Ittihad have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain fourth position with 11-3 record. Newly promoted Duba Club dropped to the tenth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Al Nahda. Al Ittihad will play against higher ranked Ohod (#3) in Medina in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Duba Club will play on the road against the league's second-placed Al Nasr (#2) in Riyadh and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Duba Club: A.Abdulmajeed 15+5reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 10+5reb+2ast, I.Suhail 7+9reb+3ast, A.Osama 7+16reb+4ast, A.Yamin 0, A.Talal 0
Al Ittihad: O.Abada 20+8reb+4ast, M.Esho 19+15reb+4ast, M.Almarwani 15+4reb+3ast, A.Yasir 14+2reb+1ast, A.Khalid 5+3reb, F.Abdullah 2+7reb

Al Ahly - Al Salam 72-77

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams in Jeddah where ninth ranked Al Salam (5-9) defeated 8th ranked Al Ahly (4-7) 77-72. Algerian center Touhami Ghezzoul (209-87, college: N.Dakota St.) notched a double-double by scoring 23 points and 23 rebounds to lead the effort and American forward Nick Stover (198-93, college: USA) supported him with 28 points. Stover is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Even a double-double of 14 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists by Canadian-Jordanian guard Freddy Ibrahim (190-96, college: Tampa) did not help to save the game for Al Ahly. The former international Ali Shubayli (190-96) added 22 points and 8 rebounds for the hosts. Al Salam moved-up to eighth place. Al Ahly at the other side dropped to the ninth position with seven games lost. Al Salam will play against bottom-ranked Abha (#12) at home in the next round. Al Ahly will play against Al Nahda in Al Khobar and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Ahly: A.Shubayli 22+8reb+1ast, F.Ibrahim 14+8reb+12ast, A.Abdulrahman 11+1reb+1ast, S.Mohammed 6+7reb+2ast, M.Safwan 6+10reb, A.Abdulrahman 5+1ast
Al Salam: N.Stover 28+4reb+1ast, T.Ghezzoul 23+23reb+1ast, S.Rashad 13+8reb+5ast, H.Alnamer 4+2reb+5ast, I.Mohammed 4+3reb+2ast, A.Hadi 3+2reb

Al Wehda - Al Ansar 79-70

Everything could happen in Mecca at the game between two tied teams. Both fifth ranked Al Wehda and 6th ranked Al Ansar had identical 7-6 record. This time Al Wehda used a home court advantage and won against the opponent from Medina 79-70. Al Wehda outrebounded Al Ansar 53-27 including a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 24 assists. The former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-89) notched a double-double by scoring 23 points and 18 rebounds to lead the effort and American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-87, college: Tennessee) supported him with 18 points, 19 rebounds and 6 assists. Even a double-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists by American-Armenian center Todd OBrien (211-89, college: UAB) did not help to save the game for Al Ansar. Jordanian guard Sami Bzai (190-94, college: SE Oklahoma) added 19 points and 8 rebounds for the guests. Four Al Ansar players scored in double figures. Al Wehda maintains fifth position with 8-6 record. Al Ansar at the other side keeps the sixth place with seven games lost. They share the position with Al Fateh. Al Wehda will play against league's leader Al Hilal in Riyadh in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Al Ansar will play at home against Al Fateh (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Ansar: S.Bzai 19+8reb+3ast, T.O'Brien 18+10reb+6ast, Y.Fallatah 15+4reb+4ast, B.Ayman 11+1reb+2ast, H.Hammam 6+3reb, A.Salman 1+1reb+1ast
Al Wehda: R.Gunday 24+7reb+7ast, M.AlMarwani 23+18reb+3ast, W.Chism 18+19reb+6ast, F.Abdulrahman 5+3reb+1ast, B.Husam 4+4reb+6ast, Q.Alaa 3+1reb

Ohod - Al Nahda 91-72

Everything went according to plan in Medina where third ranked Ohod (12-2) outscored 10th ranked Al Nahda (2-12) 91-72. American guard Shane Rector (188-94, college: Utah St.) notched 34 points (!!!), 7 assists and 4 steals to lead the effort and the former international forward Nassir Abojalas (196-94) supported him with 23 points and 5 rebounds. Ohod's coach Fuad Abou Chakra let to play all 12 players and allowed the starting five to rest. Even a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds by American center Malik Wineglass (203-93, college: Harris-Stowe St.) did not help to save the game for Al Nahda. Abdulmajeed Barnawi added 16 points and 6 rebounds for the guests. Four Al Nahda players scored in double figures. Ohod have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Al Nasr. Al Nahda lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the tenth position with 12 games lost. They share it with Duba Club. Ohod will play against Al Ittihad (#4) in Jeddah in the next round. Al Nahda will play at home against Al Ahly (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Nahda: M.Wineglass 18+16reb+1ast, B.Abdulmajeed 16+6reb+2ast, K.Marwan 15+4reb+4ast, K.Abdulrahman 10+7reb+2ast, H.Osama 7, A.Turki 6+3reb+3ast
Ohod: S.Rector 34+4reb+7ast, N.Abojalas 23+5reb+2ast, F.Belal 16+5reb+5ast, A.Almukhtar 6+3reb+2ast, A.Mohammed 4+1reb, F.Abdulrahman 4

Al Fateh - Al Nasr 78-88

The game in Al Hasa was also worth to mention about. Second ranked Al Nasr (12-2) played at the court of 7th ranked Al Fateh (7-7). Al Nasr defeated Al Fateh 88-78. American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) notched a double-double by scoring 24 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the effort and the former international forward Musab Kadi (-99) supported him with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Four Al Nasr players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 28 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists by Algerian forward Mohamed Harat (198-90) did not help to save the game for Al Fateh. Nigerian-American guard Michael Efevberha (195-84, college: CSUN) added 16 points and 6 rebounds for the hosts. Al Nasr have a solid three-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains second position with 12-2 record having five points less than leader Al Hilal, which they share with Ohod. Al Fateh at the other side dropped to the sixth place with seven games lost. They share the position with Al Ansar. Al Nasr will play against Duba Club (#11) in Tabuk in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Fateh will play on the road against Al Ansar (#7) in Medina and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: M.Harat 28+12reb+5ast, M.Efevberha 16+6reb+3ast, M.Al-Saqer 11+6reb+4ast, A.Khodeir Ali 8+1reb, A.Moussaad Mohamad 6+6reb, A.Altamar 4+1reb
Al Nasr: C.Johnson 24+17reb+7ast, K.Musab 19+6reb+1ast, A.Ayoub 18+3reb+1ast, K.Abdel-Gabar 16+3reb+3ast, T.Almuhanna 6+2reb, J.Al Kabe 3+1reb+1ast



Tags : ANTWAN SCOTT, AL HILAL RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIAN BASKETBALL