SBL Round 6 (Regular Season): Top-ranked Al Ahli win another game

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

SBL top team - Al Ahli (6-0) managed to deliver another win on Friday. This time they beat eighth ranked Al Salam (1-5) in Al-Awamiyah 84-75. It was a good game for the former international point guard Marzouq Almuwallad (180-1992) who led his team to a victory with 31 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) contributed with 26 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Al Ahli's coach Ali Alsanhani used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-1987, college: Tennessee) replied with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 16 rebounds for Al Salam. Undefeated Al Ahli have an impressive six-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with 6-0 record, which they share with 3 other teams. Al Salam lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the eighth place with five games lost. They share the position with Al Khaleej and Al Safa. Al Ahli is looking forward to face Ohod (#7) in Medina in the next round where they are favorite. Al Salam will play on the road against the league's second-placed Al Hilal in Riyadh and is hoping to prove to their fans that they can break losing series.
Bottom-ranked Al Taawoun is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their sixth consecutive match to tenth ranked Ohod (2-4) 89-63. American guard Jonathon Simmons (198-1989, college: Houston) scored 25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals to lead the charge for the winners and Deng Deng chipped in 26 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. Ohod's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. The best for the losing side was Bosnian center Markus Loncar (213-1996) with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists. Ohod moved-up to seventh place. Al Taawoun at the other side still closes the standings with six games lost. They share the position with Deba. Ohod will play against league's leader Al Ahli in Jeddah in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Al Taawoun will play against Al Khaleej (#8) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Bottom-ranked Deba is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their sixth consecutive match to fifth ranked Al Wehda (4-2) 134-84 on Friday evening. Donte McGill notched 41 points (!!!) and 7 assists to lead the effort. Coach 's team controlled all game and the coach could let to play 11 players saving starting five for next games. Even a double-double of 25 points and 23 rebounds by Jamell Harris did not help to save the game for Deba. Al Wehda maintains fifth position with 4-2 record. Loser Deba still closes the standings with six games lost. They share the position with Al Taawoun. Al Wehda will meet higher ranked Ittihad (#4) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Deba will play against Al Safa (#9) and looks forward to get finally their first victory.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 6: Al Nassr smashed Al Khaleej on the road 95-76. Al Fateh lost to undefeated Ittihad on its own court 94-101. Al Hilal outscored Al Safa in Riyadh 112-82.
The most impressive performance of 6th round was 25 points and 20 rebounds by Mohammed Alsuwailem of Al Hilal.



Al Khaleej - Al Nassr 76-95

No shocking result in a game when top-ranked Al Nassr (6-0) crushed on the road 7th ranked Al Khaleej (1-5) 95-76 on Friday. Al Nassr had a 35-22 advantage in offensive rebounds. American guard PJ Hardy (185-1998, college: Louisiana) notched 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the effort and the other American import swingman Preston Purifoy (196-1992, college: UAB, agency: Players Group) supported him with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Five Al Nassr players scored in double figures. Al Nassr's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even 34 points (!!!) and 6 assists by Derek Cedor did not help to save the game for Al Khaleej. American point guard Anthony James (183-1989, college: UNI) added 9 points and 6 rebounds. Al Nassr have an impressive six-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with 3 other teams. Al Khaleej lost third consecutive game. Newly promoted team dropped to the eighth place with five games lost. They share the position with Al Safa and Al Salam. Al Nassr will meet at home Al Fateh (#6) in the next round where they are favorite. Al Khaleej will play against Al Taawoun and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Al Khaleej: C.Derek 34+4reb+6ast, A.James 9+6reb+1ast, A.Mohammed 8+2reb+1ast, E.Ibrahim 8+2reb, N.Boungou-Colo 8+4reb, M.Almutairi 6+6reb+3ast
Al Nassr: P.Hardy 24+6reb+4ast, A.Jallas Nasser 16+7reb, P.Purifoy 15+10reb+3ast, C.Bragg Jr. 11+10reb, T.Almuhanna 10+2reb+6ast, F.Aldawsari 7+2reb+1ast

Al Salam - Al Ahli 75-84

SBL top team - Al Ahli (6-0) managed to deliver another win on Friday. This time they beat eighth ranked Al Salam (1-5) in Al-Awamiyah 84-75. It was a good game for the former international point guard Marzouq Almuwallad (180-1992) who led his team to a victory with 31 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) contributed with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Al Ahli's coach Ali Alsanhani used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-1987, college: Tennessee) replied with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 16 rebounds and American swingman Brandon Spearman (191-1991, college: Hawaii) added 21 points in the effort for Al Salam. Al Ahli have an impressive six-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with 6-0 record, which they share with 3 other teams. Al Salam lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the eighth place with five games lost. They share the position with Al Khaleej and Al Safa. Al Ahli is looking forward to face Ohod (#7) in Medina in the next round where they are favorite. Al Salam will play on the road against the league's second-placed Al Hilal in Riyadh and is hoping to prove to their fans that they can break losing series.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: W.Chism 22+16reb+3ast, B.Spearman 21+4reb+2ast, A.Bader 11+1reb+2ast, Y.Fallatah 7+5reb+6ast, A.Hadi 7, A.Khalid 7+3reb
Al Ahli: M.Almuwallad 31+7reb+6ast, D.Ebanks 26+10reb, A.Shubayli 10+7reb+2ast, D.Liggins 9+6reb+2ast, K.Kadji 4+3reb, K.Mohammed 4+4reb+3ast

Al Fateh - Ittihad 94-101

Rather expected game when 6th ranked Al Fateh (3-3) lost to top-ranked Ittihad (6-0) in Al Hasa 94-101 on Friday. Ittihad made 26-of-34 free shots (76.5 percent) during the game, while Al Fateh only scored nine points from the stripe. The former international Mathna Almarwani (186-1992) notched 34 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds to lead the effort and American guard Kevin Murphy (197-1990, college: Tenn Tech) supported him with 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Ittihad players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 19 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists by forward Mohammed Alsaqer did not help to save the game for Al Fateh. American forward Antonio Campbell (206-1994, college: Ohio) added 18 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Ittihad have an impressive six-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with 3 other teams. Loser Al Fateh keeps the sixth place with three games lost. Ittihad will meet at home Al Wehda (#5) in the next round. Al Fateh will play against Al Nassr in Riyadh and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: E.Sosa 19+3ast, A.Mohammed 19+7reb+11ast, A.Campbell 18+10reb+7ast, A.Saad 10+1reb+1ast, A.Al-Tamamr 9+1ast, A.Abdullah 8+3reb+3ast
Ittihad: M.Almarwani 34+6reb+1ast, K.Murphy 28+5reb+5ast, J.Edwards Jr. 19+6reb+7ast, M.AlMarwani 17+7reb+2ast, F.Abdulrahman 3+2reb+1ast, F.Abdullah 0

Ohod - Al Taawoun 89-63

Bottom-ranked Al Taawoun is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their sixth consecutive match to tenth ranked Ohod (2-4) 89-63. Ohod forced 25 Al Taawoun turnovers. American guard Jonathon Simmons (198-1989, college: Houston) scored 25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals to lead the charge for the winners and South Sudanese-Australian forward Deng Deng (203-1992, college: Baylor) chipped in 26 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. Ohod's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. The best for the losing side was Bosnian center Markus Loncar (213-1996) with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists and American power forward Devin Gilmore (200-1997, college: Murray St.) scored 17 points and 7 rebounds. Ohod moved-up to seventh place. Al Taawoun at the other side still closes the standings with six games lost. They share the position with Deba. Ohod will play against league's leader Al Ahli in Jeddah in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Al Taawoun will play against Al Khaleej (#8) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Taawoun: M.Loncar 25+21reb+4ast, D.Gilmore 17+7reb+2ast, A.Abdullah 11+2reb, J.Barham 6+5reb+3ast, A.Alwaleed 3+6reb+1ast, K.Mahmoud 1+4reb+2ast
Ohod: D.Deng 26+9reb, J.Simmons 25+8reb+5ast, H.Sims 9+10reb+1ast, S.Mohammad 9+2reb+1ast, A.Abdulaziz 8+3reb+2ast, A.Osama 5

Al Wehda - Deba 134-84

Bottom-ranked Deba is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their sixth consecutive match to fifth ranked Al Wehda (4-2) 134-84 on Friday evening. Al Wehda dominated down low during the game scoring 76 of its points in the paint compared to Deba's 42. Al Wehda forced 28 Deba turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American guard Donte McGill (190-1995, college: FIU, agency: Green Sports Management) notched 41 points (!!!) and 7 assists to lead the effort and the other American import forward Muhammed Ahmed (203, college: Bridgeport) supported him with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. McGill is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Coach 's team controlled all game and the coach could let to play 11 players saving starting five for next games. Even a double-double of 25 points and 23 rebounds by American-Belizean power forward Jamell Harris (208-1991, college: EMU) did not help to save the game for Deba. Abdullah Aljohani added 22 points and 5 assists. Five Deba players scored in double figures. Al Wehda maintains fifth position with 4-2 record. Loser Deba still closes the standings with six games lost. They share the position with Al Taawoun. Al Wehda will meet higher ranked Ittihad (#4) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Deba will play against Al Safa (#9) and looks forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Deba: J.Harris 25+23reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 22+5ast, J.Nicholas 14+4reb+7ast, I.Suhail 12+4reb+2ast, A.Eyad 11+3reb+1ast, H.Fahd 0
Al Wehda: D.McGill 41+4reb+7ast, M.Ahmed 31+9reb+4ast, M.Samb 25+10reb+2ast, A.Abbas 9+1reb, A.Ayob 9+2reb, A.Mohammed 9+1reb+2ast

Al Safa - Al Hilal 82-112

Very predictable result when top-ranked Al Hilal (6-0) rolled over 9th ranked Al Safa (1-5) in Safwa 112-82 on Friday. Al Hilal shot 63.9 percent from the field. Al Hilal outrebounded Al Safa 43-27 including a 30-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. Al Hilal looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by Al Safa's players. The former international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-1998) notched a double-double by scoring 25 points and 20 rebounds (on 12-of-15 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and American guard Antwan Scott (185-1992, college: Colorado St.) supported him with 19 points and 13 assists. Five Al Hilal players scored in double figures. Even 27 points by American guard Dallas Morgan (185, college: CMU) did not help to save the game for Al Safa. His fellow American import forward Dikembe Dixson (201-1996, college: UIC) added 20 points and 5 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). 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 Hilal have an impressive six-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with 3 other teams. Newly promoted Al Safa dropped to the eighth place with five games lost. They share the position with Al Khaleej and Al Salam. Al Hilal will meet at home Al Salam (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Safa will play against Deba in Tabuk and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Al Safa: D.Morgan 27+2reb+1ast, D.Dixson 20+5reb, A.Hassan 14+1reb+1ast, I.Copeland 6+8reb+2ast, A.Rayan 5+2reb, A.Hassan 4+1reb+2ast
Al Hilal: A.Mohammed 25+20reb+3ast, D.Walton 23+5reb+3ast, N.Alabsi 19+3reb+4ast, A.Scott 19+2reb+13ast, K.McDaniels 13+7reb+1ast, O.Albargawi 11+4reb+6ast