SBL Round 13 (Regular Season): Al Fateh defeat Al Wehda in the closest game of the week

Host teams show no mercy winning all games. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 13 in the SBL took place in Al Hasa. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked Al Wehda (7-6) to seventh ranked Al Fateh (7-5) 78-75 on Friday evening. Al Fateh looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. American forward Anthony Fairley (203-1999, college: Miles) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import forward Antonio Campbell (206-1994, college: Ohio) chipped in 20 points and 15 rebounds. Al Fateh's coach George Geagea used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side American guard Donte McGill (190-1995, college: FIU, agency: Green Sports Management) responded with 24 points and 6 assists. Al Fateh have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Ohod. Al Wehda lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with six games lost. Al Fateh is looking forward to face Al Safa (#10) in Safwa in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wehda will play at home against Al Hilal and is hoping to win this game.
Ohod (#5) was upset in Al-Awamiyah by eighth ranked Al Salam 78-74. It ended at the same time the seven-game winning streak of Ohod. American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-1987, college: Tennessee) nailed a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!) and 21 rebounds for the winning side and Brandon Spearman accounted for 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. American guard Jonathon Simmons (198-1989, college: Houston) came up with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists for Ohod in the defeat. Al Salam maintains eighth place with 5-8 record. Ohod at the other side keeps the fifth position with five games lost. They share it with Al Fateh. Al Salam will play against Al Khaleej (#9) in the next round. Ohod will play against the league's leader Al Nassr (#1) having rather not much hope for a victory.
SBL top team - Al Nassr (11-1) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Al Taawoun (0-12) in Riyadh 89-70. PJ Hardy fired 19 points, 5 assists and 7 steals for the winners. Al Nassr's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Markus Loncar produced a double-double by scoring 24 points and 33 rebounds for lost side. Al Nassr maintains first place with 11-1 record. Loser Al Taawoun still closes the standings with 12 games lost. Al Nassr will meet Ohod (#6) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Taawoun will play against the league's second-placed Ittihad (#2) and hopes to get finally their first victory.

In the last two games of round 13 Al Safa was destroyed by Ittihad on the opponent's court 91-71. Al Ahli outscored Al Khaleej in a home game 92-68.



Ittihad - Al Safa 91-71

Very expected game in Jeddah where 10th ranked Al Safa (3-9) was crushed by second ranked Ittihad (11-2) 91-71 on Friday. Ittihad outrebounded Al Safa 44-30 including a 36-24 advantage in defensive rebounds. Ittihad looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. Americans were the main players on the court. Guard Kevin Murphy (197-1990, college: Tenn Tech) fired a double-double by scoring 23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Center James Edwards Jr (211-1997, college: Southern) chipped in 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Five Ittihad players scored in double figures. Forward Dikembe Dixson (201-1996, college: UIC) produced 15 points and 7 rebounds and guard Dallas Morgan (185, college: CMU) added 19 points respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Ittihad maintains second place with 11-2 record having just one point less than leader Al Nassr. Al Safa lost fourth consecutive game. Newly promoted team keeps the tenth position with nine games lost. Ittihad will meet bottom-ranked Al Taawoun (#12) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Safa will play against Al Fateh and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Ittihad: K.Murphy 23+11reb+6ast, M.Almarwani 14+3reb+6ast, J.Edwards Jr. 14+6reb+5ast, M.AlMarwani 11+8reb, L.Williams 11+9reb+1ast, F.Abdulrahman 9+5reb+5ast
Al Safa: D.Morgan 19+1reb, D.Dixson 15+7reb+3ast, A.Musab 10+2reb+4ast, J.Friday 8+10reb, S.Rashad 6+5reb+2ast, A.Hassan 5+1reb+1ast

Al Nassr - Al Taawoun 89-70

SBL top team - Al Nassr (11-1) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Al Taawoun (0-12) in Riyadh 89-70. Al Nassr forced 23 Al Taawoun turnovers. Strangely Al Taawoun outrebounded Al Nassr 50-27 including a 37-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. American guard PJ Hardy (185-1998, college: Louisiana) fired 19 points, 5 assists and 7 steals for the winners. His fellow American import swingman Preston Purifoy (196-1992, college: UAB, agency: Players Group) chipped in 17 points. Four Al Nassr players scored in double figures. Al Nassr's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Bosnian center Markus Loncar (213-1996) produced a double-double by scoring 24 points and 33 rebounds and American power forward Devin Gilmore (200-1997, college: Murray St.) added 22 points and 7 rebounds respectively for lost side. Al Nassr maintains first place with 11-1 record. Loser Al Taawoun still closes the standings with 12 games lost. Al Nassr will meet Ohod (#6) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Taawoun will play against the league's second-placed Ittihad (#2) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Nassr: P.Hardy 19+1reb+5ast, P.Purifoy 17+4reb+2ast, C.Bragg Jr. 13+9reb+1ast, T.Almuhanna 12+2reb+3ast, A.Jallas Nasser 8+4reb+2ast, K.Musab 8+1reb+1ast
Al Taawoun: M.Loncar 24+33reb+2ast, D.Gilmore 22+7reb+1ast, A.Alwaleed 7+3reb, B.Murad 6+1reb+1ast, K.Mahmoud 3+3reb+7ast, A.Ehab 3+3reb

Al Ahli - Al Khaleej 92-68

Rather predictable result in Jeddah where fourth ranked Al Ahli (9-3) smashed 8th ranked Al Khaleej (4-9) 92-68 on Friday. Al Ahli looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Al Khaleej's players. U.S. Virgin Islands-Puerto Rican forward Ivan Aska (201-1990, college: Murray St., agency: 011 Sports) fired 19 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. American Hollis Thompson (203-1991, college: Georgetown) chipped in 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Al Ahli players scored in double figures. Al Ahli's coach Ali Alsanhani felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Congolese-French forward Nobel Boungou-Colo (202-1988) produced 31 points and 9 rebounds and Ibrahim Entaif added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Al Ahli have a solid series of three victories in a row. Defending champion moved-up to third place, which they share with Al Hilal. Newly promoted Al Khaleej dropped to the ninth position with nine games lost. Al Ahli will meet Deba (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Khaleej will play against Al Salam and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Ahli: I.Aska 19+9reb+3ast, H.Thompson 18+8reb+5ast, D.Liggins 15+7reb+5ast, A.Shubayli 11+7reb+3ast, M.Almuwallad 10+2reb+1ast, A.Salman 10+3reb+2ast
Al Khaleej: N.Boungou-Colo 31+9reb+2ast, A.Hassan 12+7reb, E.Ibrahim 10+6reb+4ast, M.Almutairi 6+2ast, A.Mosa 5+6reb+4ast, A.Al-Darweesh 4+1reb

Al Salam - Ohod 78-74

Ohod (#5) was upset in Al-Awamiyah by eighth ranked Al Salam 78-74. It ended at the same time the seven-game winning streak of Ohod. Al Salam made 20-of-26 charity shots (76.9 percent) during the game. American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-1987, college: Tennessee) nailed a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!) and 21 rebounds for the winning side and American swingman Brandon Spearman (191-1991, college: Hawaii) accounted for 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Spearman is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. American guard Jonathon Simmons (198-1989, college: Houston) came up with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists and South Sudanese-Australian forward Deng Deng (203-1992, college: Baylor) added 18 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Ohod in the defeat. Al Salam maintains eighth place with 5-8 record. Ohod at the other side keeps the fifth position with five games lost. They share it with Al Fateh. Al Salam will play against Al Khaleej (#9) in the next round. Ohod will play against the league's leader Al Nassr (#1) having rather not much hope for a victory.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: W.Chism 33+21reb, B.Spearman 27+9reb+6ast, Y.Fallatah 13+4reb+2ast, A.Khalid 5+4reb+1ast, A.Osama 0+2reb, A.Nimer Hussain 0+1ast
Ohod: J.Simmons 25+10reb+7ast, D.Deng 18+6reb+1ast, A.Alhosawi 8+8reb+1ast, A.Abdulaziz 8+5reb+4ast, H.Sims 7+10reb, S.Mohammad 5+2reb+1ast

Al Fateh - Al Wehda 78-75

The most exciting game of round 13 in the SBL took place in Al Hasa. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked Al Wehda (7-6) to seventh ranked Al Fateh (7-5) 78-75 on Friday evening. Al Fateh looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. American forward Anthony Fairley (203-1999, college: Miles) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import forward Antonio Campbell (206-1994, college: Ohio) chipped in 20 points and 15 rebounds. Four Al Fateh players scored in double figures. Al Fateh's coach George Geagea used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side American guard Donte McGill (190-1995, college: FIU, agency: Green Sports Management) responded with 24 points and 6 assists and Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) scored 6 points and 12 rebounds. Al Fateh have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Ohod. Al Wehda lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with six games lost. Al Fateh is looking forward to face Al Safa (#10) in Safwa in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wehda will play at home against Al Hilal and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: A.Fairley 23+14reb+1ast, A.Campbell 20+15reb+2ast, M.Al-Saquer 16+4reb+12ast, A.Ali 14+1reb+1ast, F.Khalid 2+6reb+3ast, A.Saad 2+3ast
Al Wehda: D.McGill 24+6ast, A.Ayob 12+4reb, Q.Alaa 11+5reb+1ast, B.Abdulmajeed 7+4reb+2ast, M.Ahmed 7+7reb+1ast, M.Samb 6+12reb+1ast