SBL Round 20: No surprise as #1 Al Hilal defeat Al Nahda

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

SBL top team - Al Hilal (19-1) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed eleventh ranked Al Nahda (2-18) in Al Khobar 91-67. Al Hilal dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Al Nahda's 38. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Worth to mention a quality performance of American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 4 steals and international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-98) who added 12 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. Al Hilal's coach Stratos Koukoulekidis felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Marwan Karkoura responded with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Al Hilal have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 19-1 record. Al Nahda lost tenth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh place with 18 games lost.
Bottom-ranked Abha (0-20) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 20th consecutive match to ninth ranked Al Ahly (8-12) 106-65. The winners were led by American forward Jordan Washington (203-93, college: Iona, agency: Interperformances) who had that evening a double-double by scoring 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) and Freddy Ibrahim supported him with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. Al Ahly's coach Krikorian Sarkis felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Even 23 points and 8 rebounds by Hesham Al Shareef did not help to save the game for Abha. Al Ahly moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Al Salam. Newly promoted Abha still closes the standings.
The game in Al-Awamiyah supposed to be also quite interesting. Second ranked Al Nasr (18-2) played at the court of 8th ranked Al Salam (8-12). Al Nasr smashed Al Salam 90-67 on Friday. The best player for the winners was Chris Johnson who had a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!), 21 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Coach 's team controlled all game and the coach could let to play all 12 players saving starting five for next games. Nick Stover produced 25 points and 6 rebounds for the hosts. Al Nasr have an impressive nine-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains second position with 18-2 record behind leader Al Hilal. Al Salam lost third consecutive game. Newly promoted team keeps the eighth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Al Ahly.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 20: Al Fateh won against Duba Club on the opponent's court 88-71. Ohod managed to outperform Al Wehda in a home game 85-73. Al Ansar recorded a loss to Al Ittihad on the road 86-78.

Al Ahly - Abha 106-65

Bottom-ranked Abha (0-20) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 20th consecutive match to ninth ranked Al Ahly (8-12) 106-65. Al Ahly dominated down low during the game scoring 76 of its points in the paint compared to Abha's 38. They outrebounded Abha 41-25 including a 30-16 advantage in defensive rebounds. Al Ahly players were unselfish on offense dishing 32 assists comparing to just 16 passes made by Abha's players. The winners were led by American forward Jordan Washington (203-93, college: Iona, agency: Interperformances) who had that evening a double-double by scoring 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) and Canadian-Jordanian guard Freddy Ibrahim (190-96, college: Tampa) supported him with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. Five Al Ahly players scored in double figures. Al Ahly's coach Krikorian Sarkis felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Even 23 points and 8 rebounds by Hesham Al Shareef did not help to save the game for Abha. Omran Fallatah (187-89) added 16 points and 5 rebounds for the guests. Al Ahly moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Al Salam. Newly promoted Abha still closes the standings.
Top scorers:
Abha: A.Shareef Hesham 23+8reb+1ast, A.Rayan 17+2reb+4ast, O.Fallatah 16+5reb+3ast, A.Mohannad 4+2reb+3ast, A.Tareq 3, A.Sami 2+2reb+1ast
Al Ahly: J.Washington 26+12reb+4ast, A.Shubayli 21+5reb+4ast, F.Ibrahim 18+5reb+10ast, A.Abdulrahman 12+3reb+3ast, M.Mohammed 10+2reb+2ast, B.Raad 8+3reb+2ast

Duba Club - Al Fateh 71-88

Very expected game in Tabuk where 10th ranked Duba Club (3-17) was defeated by fifth ranked Al Fateh (12-8) 88-71 on Friday. Al Fateh made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was Nigerian-American guard Michael Efevberha (195-84, college: CSUN) who scored 30 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international point guard Mohammed Al-Saqer (179-85) chipped in 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Al Fateh's coach used an eleven-player rotation saving starting five for next games. Swedish point guard Rami Ghanem (185-93, college: Keyano) produced a double-double by scoring 38 points (!!!) and 12 rebounds and American center Jarred Shaw (208-90, college: Utah St.) added 17 points and 9 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Al Fateh have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain fifth position with 12-8 record. Newly promoted Duba Club keeps the tenth place with 17 games lost.
Top scorers:
Duba Club: R.Ghanem 38+12reb+2ast, J.Shaw 17+9reb+1ast, A.Osama 9+5reb+1ast, F.Hussain 5+1reb+1ast, I.Suhail 2, A.Abdulmajeed 0+1reb+1ast
Al Fateh: M.Efevberha 30+5reb+6ast, M.Al-Saqer 22+6reb+4ast, M.Harat 15+8reb+3ast, A.Abdullah 7+2reb, A.Moussaad Mohamad 5, A.Mohammed 5+1reb

Ohod - Al Wehda 85-73

Rather predictable result in Medina where fourth ranked Ohod (15-5) defeated 6th ranked Al Wehda (10-10) 85-73 on Friday. The best player for the winners was American guard Shane Rector (188-94, college: Utah St.) who scored 31 points and 7 rebounds. The former international forward Nassir Abojalas (196-94) chipped in 23 points and 5 rebounds. The former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-89) produced 19 points and American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-87, college: Tennessee) added 15 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the guests. Ohod maintains fourth position with 15-5 record. Al Wehda at the other side keeps the sixth place with ten games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Wehda: M.AlMarwani 19+4reb, W.Chism 15+6reb+1ast, M.Thamer 12+7reb+1ast, F.Abdulrahman 8+2reb+3ast, Q.Alaa 7+1reb, R.Gunday 6+4reb+4ast
Ohod: S.Rector 31+7reb+2ast, N.Abojalas 23+5reb+3ast, A.Almukhtar 14+5reb+2ast, K.Boukichou 9+13reb+1ast, A.Ahmed 6+2reb, A.Mohammed 2+2ast

Al Ittihad - Al Ansar 86-78

Not a big story in a game in Jeddah where 7th ranked Al Ansar (9-11) was defeated by third ranked Al Ittihad (16-4) 86-78 on Friday. Al Ittihad looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was Tunisian point guard Omar Abada (189-93) who had a double-double by scoring 29 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals. Nigerian-American power forward Maxie Esho (206-91, college: UMass) chipped in a double-double by scoring 26 points and 16 rebounds. American-Armenian center Todd OBrien (211-89, college: UAB) produced a double-double by scoring 24 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks and center Hammam Hussain added 14 points respectively for the guests. Al Ittihad maintains third position with 16-4 record having just three points less than leader Al Hilal. Al Ansar at the other side keeps the seventh place with 11 games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Ansar: T.O'Brien 24+21reb+4ast, H.Hammam 14+4reb, B.Ayman 10+4reb+2ast, Y.Fallatah 9+2reb+6ast, A.Salman 8+6reb+4ast, F.Khaled 6+2ast
Al Ittihad: O.Abada 29+5reb+10ast, M.Esho 26+16reb+2ast, A.Khalid 14+3reb+1ast, M.Almarwani 9+5reb+4ast, A.Yasir 8+8reb+4ast, A.AlMadani 0

Al Salam - Al Nasr 67-90

The game in Al-Awamiyah supposed to be also quite interesting. Second ranked Al Nasr (18-2) played at the court of 8th ranked Al Salam (8-12). Al Nasr smashed Al Salam 90-67 on Friday. Al Nasr dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Al Salam's 34. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Al Salam's players. The best player for the winners was American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) who had a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!), 21 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks. The former international guard Khalid Abdel-Gabar (188-90, college: Windsor) chipped in a double-double by scoring 12 points and 15 assists. Four Al Nasr players scored in double figures. Coach 's team controlled all game and the coach could let to play all 12 players saving starting five for next games. American forward Nick Stover (198-93, college: USA) produced 25 points and 6 rebounds and Algerian center Touhami Ghezzoul (209-87, college: N.Dakota St.) added 14 points and 12 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Al Nasr have an impressive nine-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains second position with 18-2 record behind leader Al Hilal. Al Salam lost third consecutive game. Newly promoted team keeps the eighth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Al Ahly.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: N.Stover 25+6reb+1ast, I.Mohammed 15+2reb+1ast, T.Ghezzoul 14+12reb+1ast, S.Rashad 7+6reb+1ast, H.Alnamer 5+2reb+4ast, A.Bader 1+1reb+3ast
Al Nasr: C.Johnson 34+21reb+4ast, K.Abdel-Gabar 12+4reb+15ast, J.Al Kabe 11+1reb+4ast, A.Yazid 11+4reb, A.Ayoub 9+3reb+4ast, K.Musab 6+1ast

Al Nahda - Al Hilal 67-91

SBL top team - Al Hilal (19-1) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed eleventh ranked Al Nahda (2-18) in Al Khobar 91-67. Al Hilal dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Al Nahda's 38. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Worth to mention a quality performance of American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 4 steals and international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-98) who added 12 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. Five Al Hilal players scored in double figures. Al Hilal's coach Stratos Koukoulekidis felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Marwan Karkoura responded with 20 points and 9 rebounds and Abdulmajeed Barnawi scored 15 points and 6 assists. Al Hilal have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 19-1 record. Al Nahda lost tenth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh place with 18 games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Nahda: K.Marwan 20+9reb+2ast, B.Abdulmajeed 15+3reb+6ast, M.Wineglass 13+7reb+1ast, F.Fahad 8+1reb+2ast, K.Abdulrahman 6+3reb+1ast, H.Osama 5+4reb+2ast
Al Hilal: A.Scott 33+7reb+11ast, N.Alabsi 18+2reb+2ast, H.Zakaria 14+7reb+1ast, A.Mohammed 12+17reb+4ast, O.Albargawi 10+1reb+2ast, M.Abdulrahman 2+1reb



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