SBL Round 2 (Regular Season): Al Fateh lose to Al Wehda

There were only 2 rounds played so far and it's still very beginning of the Regular Season in SBL. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Al Fateh in Mecca on Monday night. Visitors were edged by Al Wehda 115-112. Al Wehda looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. 28 personal fouls committed by Al Fateh helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) who had a double-double by scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists (on 10-of-12 shooting from the field). American forward Muhammed Ahmed (203, college: Bridgeport) chipped in 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. American-Dominican forward Edgar Sosa (189-1988, college: Louisville) produced 35 points (!!!) and 5 assists for the guests. Al Fateh's coach George Geagea rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Al Wehda is looking forward to face Al Hilal in Riyadh in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Al Fateh will play at home against Al Safa and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
The game in was also worth to mention about. Al Ahli played at the court of Al Khaleej. Al Ahli managed to secure a 8-point victory 91-83. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 27 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Kenny Kadji contributed with 12 points and 14 rebounds for the winners. Al Ahli's coach Ali Alsanhani allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Derek Cedor replied with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for Al Khaleej. Al Ahli will play against Deba in Tabuk in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Khaleej will play on the road against Al Salam in Al-Awamiyah and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in Safwa was also quite interesting. Ittihad played at the court of Al Safa. Ittihad defeated Al Safa 85-73 on Monday. James Edwards Jr. scored 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners. Dikembe Dixson responded with 27 points and 8 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line). Ittihad will meet at home Al Taawoun in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Safa will play against Al Fateh in Al Hasa and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Rest of the games of round 2 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Al Nassr crushed Al Taawoun in Riyadh 103-67. Al Hilal smashed Deba at home 107-60. Al Salam won against Ohod on the opponent's court 72-60.



Al Khaleej - Al Ahli 83-91

The game in was also worth to mention about. Al Ahli played at the court of Al Khaleej. Al Ahli managed to secure a 8-point victory 91-83. Al Ahli dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Al Khaleej's 34. They outrebounded Al Khaleej 52-38 including 37 on the defensive glass. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 27 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Cameroonian forward Kenny Kadji (211-1988, college: Miami, FL) contributed with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds for the winners. Al Ahli's coach Ali Alsanhani allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Derek Cedor replied with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and Congolese-French forward Nobel Boungou-Colo (202-1988) added 17 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in the effort for Al Khaleej. Five Al Ahli and four Al Khaleej players scored in double figures. Al Ahli will play against Deba in Tabuk in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Khaleej will play on the road against Al Salam in Al-Awamiyah and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Khaleej: C.Derek 20+9reb+5ast, A.James 20+8reb+1ast, N.Boungou-Colo 17+11reb+5ast, E.Ibrahim 11+6reb+3ast, A.Mosa 8+2reb, M.Almutairi 7+1reb+1ast
Al Ahli: D.Ebanks 27+9reb+4ast, D.Liggins 14+8reb+3ast, M.Abdulrahman 13+2reb+1ast, K.Kadji 12+14reb, M.Almuwallad 11+3reb+7ast, A.Shubayli 7+4reb+2ast

Al Taawoun - Al Nassr 67-103

There was no surprise when Al Taawoun was crushed at home by Al Nassr 103-67 on Monday. Al Nassr forced 22 Al Taawoun turnovers. They shot the lights out from three sinking 17 long-distance shots on high 54.8 percentage. American guard PJ Hardy (185-1998, college: Louisiana) scored 30 points and 8 assists (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) to lead the charge for the winners and the former international forward Musab Kadi (196-1999) chipped in 30 points and 5 rebounds (on 13-of-17 shooting from the field) during the contest. Bosnian center Markus Loncar (213-1996) responded with a double-double by scoring 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and American guard Jordan Barham (194-1994, college: Davidson) scored 14 points. Al Nassr will meet at home Ohod in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Al Taawoun will play against Ittihad in Jeddah and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Al Taawoun: M.Loncar 20+11reb+5ast, J.Barham 14+3reb+1ast, D.Gilmore 9+5reb+2ast, A.Alwaleed 9+3reb, B.Murad 5+2reb+2ast, K.Mahmoud 4+2reb+3ast
Al Nassr: K.Musab 30+5reb+2ast, P.Hardy 30+3reb+8ast, P.Purifoy 18+1reb+1ast, F.Aldawsari 9+2reb+3ast, T.Almuhanna 8+2reb+2ast, C.Bragg Jr. 4+5reb

Al Wehda - Al Fateh 115-112

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Al Fateh in Mecca on Monday night. Visitors were edged by Al Wehda 115-112. Al Wehda looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. 28 personal fouls committed by Al Fateh helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) who had a double-double by scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists (on 10-of-12 shooting from the field). American forward Muhammed Ahmed (203, college: Bridgeport) chipped in a double-double by scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. American-Dominican forward Edgar Sosa (189-1988, college: Louisville) produced 35 points (!!!) and 5 assists and American forward Anthony Fairley (203-1999, college: Miles) added 23 points and 12 rebounds respectively for the guests. Four Al Wehda and five Al Fateh players scored in double figures. Al Fateh's coach George Geagea rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Al Wehda is looking forward to face Al Hilal in Riyadh in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Al Fateh will play at home against Al Safa and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: E.Sosa 35+2reb+5ast, A.Fairley 23+12reb+1ast, H.Al-Mohammed 20+5reb+2ast, A.Mohammed 10+4reb+16ast, A.Ali 10+1reb+2ast, D.Planinic 6+6reb+1ast
Al Wehda: D.McGill 29+2reb+2ast, M.Samb 26+10reb+6ast, M.Ahmed 20+10reb+5ast, B.Abdulmajeed 11+1reb+4ast, M.Thamer 11+3reb, B.Hussam 8+6reb+8ast

Al Hilal - Deba 107-60

No shocking result in a game in Riyadh where Al Hilal smashed Deba 107-60 on Monday. They outrebounded Deba 47-26 including a 36-24 advantage in defensive rebounds. Al Hilal looked well-organized offensively handing out 32 assists comparing to just 8 passes made by Deba's players. American forward Dantez Walton (200-1997, college: NKU) scored 36 points (!!!), 6 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the charge for the winners and the former international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-1998) chipped in 24 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists during the contest. Four Al Hilal players scored in double figures. Al Hilal's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American-Jamaican guard Josh Nicholas (190-1998, college: ULM) responded with 25 points and 5 rebounds and Abdullah Aljohani scored 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Al Hilal will meet at home Al Wehda in the next round. Deba will play against Al Ahli in Jeddah and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Deba: J.Nicholas 25+5reb+2ast, A.Abdullah 15+5reb+5ast, O.Barry 9+5reb, A.Eyad 7+7reb, I.Suhail 4+1reb, H.Fahd 0+1reb
Al Hilal: D.Walton 36+6reb+7ast, A.Mohammed 24+14reb+5ast, K.McDaniels 17+16reb+5ast, N.Alabsi 15+2reb+2ast, O.Albargawi 8+1reb+4ast, A.Abdelmalek 4+4reb+6ast

Ohod - Al Salam 60-72

But Ohod was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from Al-Awamiyah 72-60 on Monday night. Al Salam dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Ohod's 28. American forward Tony Farmer (201-1994, college: Lee JC) scored 39 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) to lead the charge for the winners and American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-1987, college: Tennessee) chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds during the contest. Al Salam's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American center Henry Sims (208-1990, college: Georgetown) responded with 16 points and 9 rebounds and Osama Al-Zahrani scored 11 points and 5 rebounds. Al Salam will meet at home Al Khaleej in the next round. Ohod will play against Al Nassr in Riyadh and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Ohod: H.Sims 16+9reb, A.Abdulaziz 11+2ast, A.Osama 11+5reb+2ast, A.Almukhtar 9+4reb+2ast, A.Mohammad 6+2reb+2ast, F.Abdulrahman 5+2reb
Al Salam: T.Farmer 39+9reb+3ast, W.Chism 16+8reb+1ast, A.Bader 8+1reb, A.Hadi 5+3reb, E.Fawaz 2+5reb, Y.Fallatah 2+2reb+3ast

Al Safa - Ittihad 73-85

The game in Safwa was also quite interesting. Ittihad played at the court of Al Safa. Ittihad defeated Al Safa 85-73 on Monday. They outrebounded Al Safa 47-30 including a 37-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. American center James Edwards Jr. (211-1997, college: Southern) scored 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import guard Kevin Murphy (197-1990, college: Tenn Tech) chipped in 16 points and 5 assists (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line) during the contest. Five Ittihad players scored in double figures. American forward Dikembe Dixson (201-1996, college: UIC) responded with 27 points and 8 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) and Ali Alahmed scored 21 points and 5 rebounds. Ittihad will meet at home Al Taawoun in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Safa will play against Al Fateh in Al Hasa and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Safa: D.Dixson 27+8reb+1ast, A.Ali 21+5reb+1ast, D.Morgan 9+3reb+6ast, I.Copeland 9+5reb+1ast, A.Rayan 5+3reb, A.Hassan 2+2reb+1ast
Ittihad: J.Edwards Jr. 26+8reb+4ast, K.Murphy 16+4reb+5ast, M.AlMarwani 14+10reb, L.Williams 13+8reb+1ast, A.Yasir 13+5reb, F.Abdulrahman 3+7reb+2ast