Al Ittihad beat Al Ahli to conquer the title

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 17 in the SBL took place in Jeddah. This derby game ended with only one-point home defeat of 3rd placed Al Ahli (14-3) to first ranked Al Ittihad (16-1) 76-75 on Saturday evening. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Ahli. American point guard Keron DeShields (190-1992, college: Tennessee St., agency: Diamond Sports) saved the victory by scoring 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international point guard Fahad Belal (181-1991) contributed with 15 points for the winners. Al Ittihad's coach Slobodan Subotic used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) answered with 26 points and 8 rebounds for Al Ahli. Al Ittihad maintains first place with 16-1 record. Al Ahli at the other side keeps the third position with three games lost.
Important game to mention about took place in Riyadh. Second ranked Al-Ula (15-2) saved a 2-point derby victory on the road edging 4th placed Al Nasr (11-6) 108-106 on Friday evening. American forward Thomas Wimbush (201-1993, college: Fairmont St., agency: Slash Sports) stepped up and scored 36 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds (was perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line !!!) for the winners and Mohammed Alsuwailem chipped in 21 points and 14 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). American Erik McCree (202-1993, college: La Tech) responded with 30 points. Al Nasr's coach Abdulraheem Lal tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Al-Ula have an impressive series of eleven victories in a row. Newly promoted Al-Ula maintains second place with 15-2 record behind leader Al Ittihad. Defending champion Al Nasr keeps the fourth position with six games lost.
A very close game took place in Al Hasa between Al Fateh and Al Salam. Fifth ranked Al Fateh (8-9) got a very close home victory over 6th ranked Al Salam (6-11). Al Fateh managed to escape with a 2-point win 80-78 in the game for the fifth place. Nick Stover nailed a double-double by scoring 29 points and 13 rebounds for the winning side. Jacobi Boykins came up with a double-double by scoring 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists for Al Salam in the defeat. Al Fateh maintains fifth place with 8-9 record. Loser Al Salam keeps the sixth position with 11 games lost. They share it with Al Khaleej.

In the last two games of round 17 Ohod was smashed by Al Khaleej on the road 81-47. Bottom-ranked Al Khewaildia lost to Al Safa on its own court 79-91.
The most impressive performance of 17th round was 15 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists by Cedrick Alley Jr of Al Safa.



Al Khaleej - Ohod 81-47

The game between closely ranked teams ended with seventh ranked Al Khaleej's (6-11) home victory over 8th ranked Ohod (3-14) 81-47 on Friday. Al Khaleej held Ohod to an opponent 24.6 percent shooting from the field compared to 42.9 percent accuracy of the winners. They outrebounded Ohod 50-39 including 37 on the defensive glass. Al Khaleej looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists comparing to just 4 passes made by Ohod's players. Canadian forward Richard Amardi (206-1990, college: Oregon, agency: BIG) nailed a double-double by scoring 28 points and 12 rebounds for the winning side and American swingman Qyidar Davis (198-1993, college: Indiana St.) accounted for 5 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Davis is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Al Khaleej's coach Vanja Gusa felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Mohammad Altasan (163-2001) came up with 11 points and 8 rebounds and Iraqi center Ahmed Obaidi (207-1998) added 7 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Ohod in the defeat. Al Khaleej moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Al Salam. Ohod lost their sixth game in a row. They dropped to the ninth position with 14 games lost.
Top scorers:
Ohod: M.Altasan 11+8reb+1ast, O.Alzahrani 8+5reb, A.Obaidi 7+6reb+1ast, M.Alhawsawi 6+5reb+1ast, Y.Al-Hawosawi 6+4reb, A.Fallatah 5+2reb
Al Khaleej: R.Amardi 28+12reb+2ast, I.Entaif 11+5reb+1ast, A.Al-Darweesh 10+6reb+3ast, A.Ashoor 9+4reb+5ast, M.Al-Hezam 9+3reb+1ast, Q.Davis 5+10reb+4ast

Al Ahli - Al Ittihad 75-76

The most exciting game of round 17 in the SBL took place in Jeddah. This derby game ended with only one-point home defeat of 3rd placed Al Ahli (14-3) to first ranked Al Ittihad (16-1) 76-75 on Saturday evening. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Ahli. American point guard Keron DeShields (190-1992, college: Tennessee St., agency: Diamond Sports) saved the victory by scoring 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international point guard Fahad Belal (181-1991) contributed with 15 points for the winners. Four Al Ittihad players scored in double figures. Al Ittihad's coach Slobodan Subotic used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) answered with 26 points and 8 rebounds and the other American import guard Darius Hall (188, college: Bryant & Str OH) added 18 points and 13 rebounds in the effort for Al Ahli. Al Ittihad maintains first place with 16-1 record. Al Ahli at the other side keeps the third position with three games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Ahli: D.Ebanks 26+8reb, D.Hall 18+13reb+3ast, K.Abdel-Gabar 12+7reb+6ast, T.Mohammed 6+3reb, A.Shubayli 6+3reb, M.Almuwallad 4+4reb+1ast
Al Ittihad: K.DeShields 21+7reb+6ast, F.Belal 15+4reb, M.Maker 12+4reb, O.Albargawi 10+4reb+1ast, M.Almarwani 7+5reb+3ast, Y.Aljohani 5+1ast

Al Nasr - Al-Ula 106-108

Important game to mention about took place in Riyadh. Second ranked Al-Ula (15-2) saved a 2-point derby victory on the road edging 4th placed Al Nasr (11-6) 108-106 on Friday evening. Al-Ula made 25-of-26 charity shots (96.2 percent) during the game. American forward Thomas Wimbush (201-1993, college: Fairmont St., agency: Slash Sports) stepped up and scored 36 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds (was perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line !!!) for the winners and the former international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-1998) chipped in 21 points and 14 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). American Erik McCree (202-1993, college: La Tech) responded with 30 points and Nasser Abo Jallas scored 24 points and 5 rebounds. Five Al-Ula and four Al Nasr players scored in double figures. Al Nasr's coach Abdulraheem Lal tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Al-Ula have an impressive series of eleven victories in a row. Newly promoted Al-Ula maintains second place with 15-2 record behind leader Al Ittihad. Defending champion Al Nasr keeps the fourth position with six games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Nasr: E.McCree 30+3reb+3ast, N.Abo Jallas 24+5reb+3ast, D.McGill 23+3reb+4ast, R.Huraysi 11+2reb+3ast, S.Almutairi 9+1reb+3ast, A.Abdulla 4+8reb+2ast
Al-Ula: T.Wimbush 36+8reb+3ast, M.Alsuwailem 21+14reb+3ast, J.Gibson 19+2reb+7ast, A.Alalawi 12+2ast, M.Alsaqer 11+7reb+3ast, A.Almukhtar 6

Al Fateh - Al Salam 80-78

A very close game took place in Al Hasa between Al Fateh and Al Salam. Fifth ranked Al Fateh (8-9) got a very close home victory over 6th ranked Al Salam (6-11). Al Fateh managed to escape with a 2-point win 80-78 in the game for the fifth place. Al Fateh shot 31 for 43 from the free-throw line, while Al Salam only scored eleven points from the stripe. They outrebounded Al Salam 44-33 including 29 on the defensive glass. American forward Nick Stover (198-1993, college: USA) nailed a double-double by scoring 29 points and 13 rebounds for the winning side and Cameroonian center Junior MBida (206-1990) accounted for 15 points and 8 rebounds. Stover is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Al Fateh players scored in double figures. American swingman Jacobi Boykins (198-1995, college: La Tech) came up with a double-double by scoring 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists and Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) added 27 points and 10 rebounds respectively for Al Salam in the defeat. Al Fateh maintains fifth place with 8-9 record. Loser Al Salam keeps the sixth position with 11 games lost. They share it with Al Khaleej.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: M.Samb 27+10reb+1ast, J.Boykins 21+12reb+6ast, R.Almatroud 13+4reb+2ast, A.AlQassab 7+1reb+2ast, A.Alzahir 5+1reb+1ast, M.Iqbal 3+2ast
Al Fateh: N.Stover 29+13reb+1ast, J.Nicholas 17+3reb, J.MBida 15+8reb+1ast, S.Al-Subaiei 10+4reb+3ast, T.Almuhanna 6+2reb+1ast, A.Al-Khodeir 3+9reb+4ast

Al Khewaildia - Al Safa 79-91

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 10th ranked Al Khewaildia's (2-15) home loss to ninth ranked Al Safa (4-13) 79-91 on Friday. Al Safa made 27-of-34 free shots (79.4 percent) during the game. South Sudanese guard Dhieu Abwok (196-2001, college: UTSA) nailed 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists (was perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line !!!) for the winning side and American forward Cedrick Alley Jr (198, college: UTSA) accounted for 15 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. Al Safa's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American guard Jermale Jones (185-1986, college: Tuskegee) came up with 29 points (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) and the other American import forward Chase Berry (198-1998, college: Boise St.) added 21 points and 8 rebounds respectively for Al Khewaildia in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Al Safa moved-up to eighth place. Al Khewaildia at the other side, also newcomer in the league, stay at the bottom position with 15 games lost.
Top scorers:
Al Khewaildia: J.Jones 29+4reb+1ast, C.Berry 21+8reb+2ast, M.Alsalem 11+10reb+7ast, Z.Tyson 11+6reb+1ast, A.Al-Mahroos 5+8reb+1ast, A.Al-Sheef 2+4reb+2ast
Al Safa: D.Abwok 24+8reb+6ast, R.Alahmed 23+2reb+1ast, C.Alley Jr. 15+15reb+4ast, L.Robertin 11+8reb, A.Alahmed 8+5reb+1ast, H.Alshobbar 7+3reb+3ast