SBL Round 18 of Regular Season

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The biggest surprise of round 18 was guest Al Fateh's (10-8) road victory over 5th ranked Al Wehda (9-9) 61-54 on Monday evening. Al Fateh forced 22 Al Wehda turnovers. The best player for the winners was Algerian forward Mohamed Harat (198-90) who had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 16 rebounds. Nigerian-American guard Michael Efevberha (195-84, college: CSUN) chipped in 17 points and 9 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-89) who recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points and 14 rebounds. Al Fateh moved-up to fifth place. Al Wehda at the other side dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. Al Fateh are looking forward to face Al Salam (#8) in Al-Awamiyah in the next round. Al Wehda will play at home against Duba Club and is hoping to win this game.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Medina. First ranked Al Hilal faced 4th ranked Ohod. Guests from Riyadh (17-1) defeated host Ohod (13-5) 104-97. It was a good game for American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) who led his team to a victory with 48 points (!!!), 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Mohammed Alsuwailem contributed with 20 points and 18 rebounds for the winners. American guard Shane Rector (188-94, college: Utah St.) replied with 45 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds (went 10 for 10 at the free throw line !!!) for Ohod. Al Hilal have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 17-1 record. Ohod at the other side keeps the fourth place with five games lost. Al Hilal will play against Al Ahly (#9) in Jeddah in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Ohod will play on the road against Abha (#12) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Bottom-ranked Abha (0-18) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 92-78 loss to tenth ranked Duba Club (3-15) in Tabuk on Monday evening. Jarred Shaw had a double-double by scoring 32 points and 20 rebounds (on 15-of-17 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners. The best for the losing side was Hesham Al Shareef with 28 points and 7 rebounds. Newly promoted Duba Club maintains tenth position with 3-15 record. Abha at the other side, also newcomer in the league, still closes the standings. Duba Club will meet higher ranked Al Wehda (#6) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Abha will play against Ohod (#4) and hopes to get finally their first victory.

Rest of the games of round 18 were very predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Al Salam was crushed by Al Ittihad in Jeddah 104-76. Al Nahda lost to defending champion Al Nasr at home 61-88. Al Ansar lost to Al Ahly on the opponent's court 71-79.
The best stats of 18th round was 33 points (!!!), 18 rebounds and 4 assists by Jordan Washington of Al Ahly.

Al Ittihad - Al Salam 104-76

There was no surprise in Jeddah where 8th ranked Al Salam (8-10) was crushed by third ranked Al Ittihad (15-3) 104-76 on Monday. Al Ittihad outrebounded Al Salam 48-33 including a 36-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Nigerian-American power forward Maxie Esho (206-91, college: UMass) had a double-double by scoring 21 points, 22 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Tunisian point guard Omar Abada (189-93) chipped in 26 points and 12 assists during the contest. Five Al Ittihad players scored in double figures. Al Ittihad's coach Mohamed Kardani felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was Algerian center Touhami Ghezzoul (209-87, college: N.Dakota St.) with a double-double by scoring 38 points (!!!) and 16 rebounds and American forward Nick Stover (198-93, college: USA) scored 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Al Ittihad have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 15-3 record having just two points less than leader Al Hilal. Newly promoted Al Salam dropped to the seventh place with ten games lost. They share the position with Al Ansar. Al Ittihad will meet league's second-placed Al Nasr in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Al Salam will play against Al Fateh (#5) in Al Hasa and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Ittihad: O.Abada 26+3reb+12ast, M.Esho 21+22reb+4ast, M.Almarwani 19+7reb+5ast, A.AlMadani 14+4reb+1ast, A.Khalid 10+3reb+1ast, A.Yasir 7+4reb+1ast
Al Salam: T.Ghezzoul 38+16reb, N.Stover 22+7reb+5ast, I.Mohammed 7, S.Rashad 7+5reb+2ast, A.Talal 2+2reb+3ast, A.Ali 0+2reb

Duba Club - Abha 92-78

Bottom-ranked Abha (0-18) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 92-78 loss to tenth ranked Duba Club (3-15) in Tabuk on Monday evening. They dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Abha's 24 and made 18-of-23 free shots (78.3 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Abha 47-24 including a 15-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. American center Jarred Shaw (208-90, college: Utah St.) had a double-double by scoring 32 points and 20 rebounds (on 15-of-17 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and Swedish point guard Rami Ghanem (185-93, college: Keyano) chipped in 23 points during the contest. The best for the losing side was Hesham Al Shareef with 28 points and 7 rebounds and Omran Fallatah (187-89) scored 24 points. Newly promoted Duba Club maintains tenth position with 3-15 record. Abha at the other side, also newcomer in the league, still closes the standings. Duba Club will meet higher ranked Al Wehda (#6) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Abha will play against Ohod (#4) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Duba Club: J.Shaw 32+20reb, R.Ghanem 23+4reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 19+4reb+4ast, A.Eyad 6+9reb, F.Hussain 6+4reb+1ast, I.Suhail 4+3reb
Abha: A.Shareef Hesham 28+7reb, O.Fallatah 24+2reb+3ast, S.Sill 11+8reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 8+4reb+2ast, S.Mohaned 5+1reb+1ast, A.Rayan 2+1ast

Ohod - Al Hilal 97-104

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Medina. First ranked Al Hilal faced 4th ranked Ohod. Guests from Riyadh (17-1) defeated host Ohod (13-5) 104-97. Al Hilal dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Ohod's 40. Al Hilal forced 19 Ohod turnovers. It was a good game for American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St.) who led his team to a victory with 48 points (!!!), 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. International center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-98) contributed with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 18 rebounds for the winners. American guard Shane Rector (188-94, college: Utah St.) replied with 45 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds (went 10 for 10 at the free throw line !!!) and Moroccan-Belgian center Khalid Boukichou (208-92) added 13 points and 12 rebounds in the effort for Ohod. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Al Hilal have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 17-1 record. Ohod at the other side keeps the fourth place with five games lost. Al Hilal will play against Al Ahly (#9) in Jeddah in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Ohod will play on the road against Abha (#12) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Al Hilal: A.Scott 48+7reb+7ast, A.Mohammed 20+18reb+3ast, H.Abbas 13+7reb+4ast, O.Albargawi 13+1reb+1ast, N.Alabsi 7+5reb, F.Aldawsari 3+1reb
Ohod: S.Rector 45+9reb+3ast, K.Boukichou 13+12reb+3ast, A.Mostafa 12+3reb+1ast, A.Almukhtar 10+5reb+2ast, F.Belal 9+3reb+2ast, A.Mohammed 6

Al Nahda - Al Nasr 61-88

No shocking result in a game in Al Khobar where second ranked Al Nasr (16-2) smashed 10th ranked Al Nahda (2-16) 88-61 on Monday. Al Nasr dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Al Nahda's 38. Al Nasr had a 34-23 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists comparing to just 12 passes made by Al Nahda's players. American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) had a double-double by scoring 30 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks to lead the charge for the winners and the former international guard Khalid Abdel-Gabar (188-90, college: Windsor) chipped in 20 points and 10 assists during the contest. Al Nasr's coach felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was American center Malik Wineglass (203-93, college: Harris-Stowe St.) with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 19 rebounds and Marwan Karkoura scored 20 points and 5 rebounds. Al Nasr have an impressive seven-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains second position with 16-2 record behind leader Al Hilal. Al Nahda lost eighth consecutive game. They dropped to the eleventh place with 16 games lost. Al Nasr will meet at home Al Ittihad (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Al Nahda will play against Al Ansar (#7) in Medina and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Nasr: C.Johnson 30+20reb+6ast, K.Abdel-Gabar 20+2reb+10ast, T.Almuhanna 16+2reb+1ast, H.Al Mohammed 6+5reb+1ast, K.Musab 6+6reb+2ast, A.Ayoub 4+2reb+2ast
Al Nahda: K.Marwan 20+5reb, M.Wineglass 19+19reb+3ast, B.Abdulmajeed 12+3reb+2ast, K.Abdulrahman 8+2reb, A.Turki 2+6reb+7ast, H.Osama 0+1reb

Al Wehda - Al Fateh 54-61

The biggest surprise of round 18 was guest Al Fateh's (10-8) road victory over 5th ranked Al Wehda (9-9) 61-54 on Monday evening. Al Fateh forced 22 Al Wehda turnovers. The best player for the winners was Algerian forward Mohamed Harat (198-90) who had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 16 rebounds. Nigerian-American guard Michael Efevberha (195-84, college: CSUN) chipped in 17 points and 9 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-89) who recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points and 14 rebounds and American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-87, college: Tennessee) added 10 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Al Fateh moved-up to fifth place. Al Wehda at the other side dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. Al Fateh are looking forward to face Al Salam (#8) in Al-Awamiyah in the next round. Al Wehda will play at home against Duba Club and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: M.Harat 26+16reb+1ast, M.Efevberha 17+9reb+3ast, M.Al-Saqer 16+6reb+5ast, A.Khodeir Ali 2+1reb+3ast, A.Qasem 0, A.Hesham 0+2reb+3ast
Al Wehda: M.AlMarwani 17+14reb+1ast, R.Gunday 10+1reb+6ast, W.Chism 10+12reb+2ast, A.Mohammed 8+2reb+7ast, B.Husam 8+12reb+3ast, M.Thamer 1+1reb

Al Ahly - Al Ansar 79-71

There was a minor upset in Jeddah where 7th ranked Al Ansar (8-10) was defeated by ninth ranked Al Ahly (7-11) 79-71 on Monday. American forward Jordan Washington (203-93, college: Iona, agency: Interperformances) had a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 18 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Canadian-Jordanian guard Freddy Ibrahim (190-96, college: Tampa) chipped in 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was American-Armenian center Todd OBrien (211-89, college: UAB) with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 17 rebounds and forward Ayman Belal scored 10 points. Al Ahly maintains ninth position with 7-11 record. Loser Al Ansar keeps the seventh place with ten games lost. They share the position with Al Salam. Al Ahly will meet league's leader Al Hilal in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Al Ansar will play against Al Nahda (#11) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Ahly: J.Washington 33+18reb+4ast, F.Ibrahim 25+7reb+4ast, A.Shubayli 11+6reb+2ast, B.Ayob 9+3reb+1ast, S.Hassan 1+1reb+1ast, A.Raed 0
Al Ansar: T.O'Brien 26+17reb+3ast, H.Hammam 13+4reb, B.Ayman 10+4reb+3ast, S.Bzai 9+3reb+3ast, Y.Fallatah 6+4reb+1ast, A.Salman 4+3ast



Tags : MOHAMED HARAT, AL FATEH AL HASA, SAUDI ARABIAN BASKETBALL