SBL Round 14 (Regular Season): Al Salam defeat Al Khewaildia in the closest game of the week

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 14 in the SBL took place in Al-Awamiyah. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 8th ranked Al Khewaildia (3-11) to fifth ranked Al Salam (6-7) 86-83 on Monday evening. Al Salam outrebounded Al Khewaildia 49-32 including 36 on the defensive glass. American forward Alex Young (198-1989, college: IUPUI) scored 35 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and chipped in 10 points and 16 rebounds during the contest. responded with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Al Salam maintains fifth position with 6-7 record. Al Khewaildia at the other side keeps the eighth place with 11 games lost. Al Salam are looking forward to face Al Khaleej (#9) in the next round. Al Khewaildia will play against the league's leader Al-Ula and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Jeddah. 4th ranked host Al Ittihad (9-4) lost to top-ranked Al-Ula (14-0) 74-70. notched a double-double by scoring 19 points and 28 rebounds to lead the effort and Wael Arakji supported him with 29 points. Al-Ula's coach Izzat Ismail allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Even 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists by American point guard Erick Neal (178-1995, college: UT Arlington) did not help to save the game for Al Ittihad. Undefeated Al-Ula have an impressive 14-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 14-0 record. Defending champion Al Ittihad keeps the fourth place with four games lost. Al-Ula will play against Al Khewaildia (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Ittihad will play against Al Fateh (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in was also quite interesting. Sixth ranked Al Fateh (6-8) played at the court of 7th ranked Mudhar (4-10). Al Fateh defeated Mudhar 78-66 on Friday. The best player for the winners was Mamadou Samb who had a double-double by scoring 29 points and 12 rebounds. Al Fateh's coach Saif Mubarak used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Jason Jitoboh produced 25 points and 9 rebounds for the hosts. Al Fateh maintains sixth position with 6-8 record. Mudhar lost sixth consecutive game. Newly promoted team keeps the seventh place with ten games lost. Al Fateh will meet higher ranked Al Ittihad (#4) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Mudhar will play against Ohod and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 14: bottom-ranked Ohod was destroyed by Al Ahli on the opponent's court 130-56. Al Nasr managed to outperform Al Salam in a home game 103-87. Al Khewaildia managed to beat Al Khaleej on the road 77-67.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists by Ibrahima Sankare of Al Khewaildia.



Al Ahli - Ohod 130-56

Very expected game in Jeddah where 10th ranked Ohod (1-13) was crushed by second ranked Al Ahli (13-1) 130-56 on Friday. Al Ahli held Ohod to an opponent 24.0 percent shooting from the field compared to 57.1 percent accuracy of the winners. They outrebounded Ohod 64-32 including a 53-28 advantage in defensive rebounds. Al Ahli looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists comparing to just 1 passes made by Ohod's players. The best player for the winners was American Tyler Stone (203-1991, college: SEMO, agency: Octagon Europe) who had a double-double by scoring 31 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists. The other American import forward Alfonzo McKinnie (202-1992, college: Green Bay) chipped in 32 points and 9 rebounds. Four Al Ahli players scored in double figures. produced 11 points and 7 rebounds and Lebanese guard Wael Arakji (193-1994) added 13 points respectively for the guests. 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 Ahli have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 13-1 record behind leader Al-Ula. Ohod lost tenth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom place with 13 games lost. Al Ahli will meet at home Al Nasr (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Ohod will play against Mudhar (#7) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Ohod: A.Amjad 13+4reb, O.Ahmed 11+7reb, F.Abdulrahman 11+5reb+1ast, A.Osama 8+5reb, A.Yousef 5, A.Mohammed 5+6reb
Al Ahli: M.Alfonzo 32+9reb+3ast, S.Tyler 31+16reb+7ast, M.Almuwallad 21+3reb+4ast, M.Alsharif 15+8reb, A.Shubayli 12+4reb+2ast, M.Khafaji 9+6reb+4ast

Al Nasr - Al Salam 103-87

Rather predictable result in Riyadh where third ranked Al Nasr (11-3) defeated 5th ranked Al Salam (6-7) 103-87 on Friday. The best player for the winners was Musab Kadi who had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 13 rebounds. American guard Bailey Hardy (188-2000, college: LCU) chipped in 31 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Five Al Nasr players scored in double figures. Al Nasr's coach Fadi Sobhi used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Alex Young (198-1989, college: IUPUI) produced 34 points (!!!), 9 rebounds and 4 assists and the other his fellow American import import forward Alfonzo McKinnie (202-1992, college: Green Bay) added 17 points respectively for the guests. Al Nasr have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 11-3 record having just three points less than leader Al-Ula. Loser Al Salam keeps the fifth place with seven games lost. Al Nasr will meet league's second-placed Al Ahli in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Al Salam will play against Al Khaleej and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: A.Young 34+9reb+4ast, A.Reda 17+4reb+2ast, H.Almohammed 14+3reb+1ast, A.Hadi 9+1reb, A.Ahmed 5+3reb+2ast, M.Nguirane 4+9reb+3ast
Al Nasr: H.Bailey 31+5reb+4ast, M.Kadi 25+13reb+3ast, A.Brandon 14+6reb, F.Aldawsari 12+2reb+3ast, A.Abdulla 11+6reb+1ast, H.Mohamed 5+2reb+1ast

Mudhar - Al Fateh 66-78

The game in was also quite interesting. Sixth ranked Al Fateh (6-8) played at the court of 7th ranked Mudhar (4-10). Al Fateh defeated Mudhar 78-66 on Friday. Al Fateh forced 19 Mudhar turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. The best player for the winners was Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) who had a double-double by scoring 29 points and 12 rebounds. Serbian center Lazar Nekic (213-1999, college: LMU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds. Al Fateh's coach Saif Mubarak used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Nigerian center Jason Jitoboh (211-2001, college: Tennessee St., agency: JCK Sports Group) produced 25 points and 9 rebounds and American guard Vante Hendrix (196-1998, college: CSUN, agency: BIG) added 11 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for the hosts. Al Fateh maintains sixth position with 6-8 record. Mudhar lost sixth consecutive game. Newly promoted team keeps the seventh place with ten games lost. Al Fateh will meet higher ranked Al Ittihad (#4) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Mudhar will play against Ohod and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Mudhar: J.Jitoboh 25+9reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 16+6reb+1ast, V.Hendrix 11+11reb+4ast, A.Mosa 7+3reb+1ast, A.Saleh 3+1reb+1ast, A.Alhassan 2+3reb+1ast
Al Fateh: S.Mamadou 29+12reb+3ast, N.Lazar 27+13reb+3ast, A.Al-Khodeir 8+1reb+1ast, A.Alkuhayli 6+3reb+4ast, A.Al-Taher 5+1reb, H.Alrasheed 3+3reb+9ast

Al Ittihad - Al-Ula 70-74

The game between Top Four teams took place in Jeddah. 4th ranked host Al Ittihad (9-4) lost to top-ranked Al-Ula (14-0) 74-70. Al-Ula outrebounded Al Ittihad 48-32 including 34 on the defensive glass. Al Ittihad was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. Mohammed Alsuwailem notched a double-double by scoring 19 points and 28 rebounds to lead the effort and Lebanese guard Wael Arakji (193-1994) supported him with 29 points. Al-Ula's coach Izzat Ismail allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Even 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists by American point guard Erick Neal (178-1995, college: UT Arlington) did not help to save the game for Al Ittihad. His fellow American import forward Jarell Eddie (201-1991, college: Virginia Tech, agency: Octagon Europe) added 15 points and 6 rebounds for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Al-Ula have an impressive 14-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 14-0 record. Defending champion Al Ittihad keeps the fourth place with four games lost. Al-Ula will play against Al Khewaildia (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Ittihad will play against Al Fateh (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Ittihad: E.Neal 23+8reb+6ast, J.Eddie 15+6reb+3ast, A.Mathna 11+7reb+4ast, A.Nasser 11+1reb, A.Mustafa 6+2ast, A.Osama 2+6reb+1ast
Al-Ula: A.Wael 29+2reb+2ast, M.Alsuwailem 19+28reb+2ast, G.Jonathan 12+2reb+2ast, M.Thon 11+8reb+2ast, A.Alalawi 3+1reb+1ast, M.Saleh 0

Al Khaleej - Al Khewaildia 67-77

Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both eighth ranked Al Khewaildia and 9th ranked Al Khaleej had identical 2-11 record. But Al Khaleej was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from 77-67 on Friday night. The best player for the winners was Ibrahima Sankare who scored 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. American forward Keondre Jackson (203, college: Clayton St.) chipped in a double-double by scoring 24 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 20 rebounds and American point guard Kaleb Thornton (183-1999, college: Akron) added 18 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Al Khewaildia maintains eighth position with 3-11 record. Al Khaleej lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth place with 12 games lost. Al Khewaildia will meet league's leader Al-Ula in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Al Khaleej will play against Al Salam (#5) in Al-Awamiyah and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Khaleej: K.Thornton 18+6reb+2ast, M.Lino 17+20reb+3ast, A.Almonthadhar 7+3reb+2ast, A.Mahdi 6+7reb, A.Hassan 6+1reb, E.Ibrahim 5+3reb+1ast
Al Khewaildia: I.Sankare 26+9reb+9ast, J.Keondre 24+13reb+1ast, A.Al-Aseel 12+6reb+2ast, A.Al-Sheef 6+6reb+1ast, K.Al-Amrad 6+2reb+1ast, A.Al-Mahroos 3

Al Salam - Al Khewaildia 86-83

The most exciting game of round 14 in the SBL took place in Al-Awamiyah. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 8th ranked Al Khewaildia (3-11) to fifth ranked Al Salam (6-7) 86-83 on Monday evening. Al Salam outrebounded Al Khewaildia 49-32 including 36 on the defensive glass. American forward Alex Young (198-1989, college: IUPUI) scored 35 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Almohammed Hani chipped in 10 points and 16 rebounds during the contest. responded with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists and Abass Al-Aseel scored 23 points and 6 rebounds. Al Salam maintains fifth position with 6-7 record. Al Khewaildia at the other side keeps the eighth place with 11 games lost. Al Salam are looking forward to face Al Khaleej (#9) in the next round. Al Khewaildia will play against the league's leader Al-Ula and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Al Khewaildia: A.Abass 23+6reb+3ast, S.Ibrahima 22+9reb+8ast, K.Jackson 16+10reb+4ast, S.Mohammed 9+3reb+2ast, A.Ahmed 3, A.Abass 3
Al Salam: Y.Alex 35+7reb+3ast, H.Al-Darwish 12+2reb, R.Al-matroud 10+1reb+4ast, A.Hani 10+16reb+1ast, H.Stephen 8+7reb+2ast, A.Alfaraj 5+3reb+1ast