Round 2 (Second Stage): Qadsia defeat Shabab Al Ahli in the closest game of the week

There were only 2 rounds played so far and it's still very beginning of the Second Stage in West Asia Super League. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 2 in the West Asia Super League took place in Kuwait City. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of UAE Shabab Al Ahli to Kuwaiti Qadsia 79-76 on Tuesday evening. Qadsia looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Abdulaziz Alhamidi (190-1987) scored 26 points to lead the charge for the winners and Jamaican-American guard Sek Henry (193-1987, college: Nebraska) chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists during the contest. Qadsia's coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. American guard Deshawndre Washington (201, college: NM State) responded with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Qadsia will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Shabab Al Ahli will play against Tabiat and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Important game to mention about took place in Nur-Sultan. Saudi Arabian Al Ittihad saved a 3-point victory on the road edging Kazakhstan Astana 79-76 in the game for the third place. American point guard Keron DeShields (190-1992, college: Tennessee St., agency: Diamond Sports) notched a double-double by scoring 24 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the effort and Mohammed AlMarwani supported him with 11 points and 9 rebounds. Al Ittihad's coach allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Even 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists by guard Vadim Chsherbak (194-1993) did not help to save the game for Astana.
One of the most interesting games of round 2 was a derby match between two teams from Lebanon. The game took place in Beirut where Al Riyadi outleveled host Sagesse 101-71. The best player for the winners was Wael Arakji who scored 36 points (!!!) and 6 assists. Zach Lofton produced 17 points and 5 assists for the hosts.

In the last two games of round 2 winless Astana was destroyed by Sagesse on the opponent's court 113-90. Al Riyadi managed to outperform Al Ittihad in a home game 97-87.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 23 points and 7 rebounds by Marin Maric of Al Riyadi.



Astana - Al Ittihad 76-79

Important game to mention about took place in Nur-Sultan. Saudi Arabian Al Ittihad saved a 3-point victory on the road edging Kazakhstan Astana 79-76 in the game for the third place. American point guard Keron DeShields (190-1992, college: Tennessee St., agency: Diamond Sports) notched a double-double by scoring 24 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the effort and center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-1989) supported him with 11 points and 9 rebounds. Al Ittihad's coach allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Even 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists by guard Vadim Chsherbak (194-1993) did not help to save the game for Astana. Russian center Andrey Desiatnikov (220-1994, agency: Stanislav Ryzhov) added 14 points and 10 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the hosts. Four Astana players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Al Ittihad: K.DeShields 24+8reb+12ast, M.Deng 14+5reb, M.AlMarwani 11+9reb, A.Fallatah 9+8reb, N.Alabsi 7+2reb, M.Almarwani 7+9reb
Astana: V.Chsherbak 17+5reb+5ast, A.Desiatnikov 14+10reb+2ast, A.Maydekin 13+4reb+2ast, G.Motovilov 11+3reb+9ast, R.Aitkali 9+10reb+2ast, R.Murzagaliyev 7+3reb+2ast

Sagesse - Al Riyadi 71-101

One of the most interesting games of round 2 was a derby match between two teams from Lebanon. The game took place in Beirut where Al Riyadi outleveled host Sagesse 101-71. Al Riyadi dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Sagesse's 28. Al Riyadi looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was guard Wael Arakji (193-1994) who scored 36 points (!!!) and 6 assists. Australian-South Sudanese center Thon Maker (216-1997) chipped in a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. American guard Zach Lofton (193-1992, college: NM State, agency: Slash Sports) produced 17 points and 5 assists and his fellow American import power forward Johnny O'Bryant III (207-1993, college: LSU, agency: Slash Sports) added 13 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Five Al Riyadi and four Sagesse players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: W.Arakji 36+3reb+6ast, M.Maric 14+8reb+2ast, T.Maker 14+10reb+2ast, K.Zeinoun 14+2reb+3ast, H.Gyokchyan 12+7reb, M.Georges-Hunt 7+4reb+1ast
Sagesse: Z.Lofton 17+4reb+5ast, J.O'Bryant III 13+6reb+3ast, C.Lalanne 13+7reb, J.Khalil 10+10reb+2ast, M.Khoueiry 8+3reb+1ast, G.Hadidian 4+3reb

Qadsia - Shabab Al Ahli 79-76

The most exciting game of round 2 in the West Asia Super League took place in Kuwait City. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of UAE Shabab Al Ahli to Kuwaiti Qadsia 79-76 on Tuesday evening. Qadsia looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Abdulaziz Alhamidi (190-1987) scored 26 points to lead the charge for the winners and Jamaican-American guard Sek Henry (193-1987, college: Nebraska) chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists during the contest. Qadsia's coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. American guard Deshawndre Washington (201, college: NM State) responded with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and his fellow American import guard Chris Crawford (193-1992, college: Memphis) scored 18 points. Four Shabab Al Ahli players scored in double figures. Qadsia will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Shabab Al Ahli will play against Tabiat and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Qadsia: A.Alhamidi 26+2reb+1ast, S.Henry 17+6reb+6ast, S.Albrahim 8+3reb+3ast, A.AlSaeid 8+4reb+2ast, C.Elonu 7+9reb, M.Ashkanani 6+3reb+1ast
Shabab Al Ahli: C.Crawford 18+4reb+3ast, D.Washington 16+6reb+6ast, Q.Alshabebi 13+4reb+2ast, J.Hagins 10+6reb+3ast, H.Albreiki 6+7reb+2ast, O.Alameri 6

Sagesse - Astana 113-90

Rather expected game in Beirut where Kazakhstan Astana was crushed by Lebanese Sagesse 113-90 on Wednesday. Sagesse made 26-of-28 free shots (92.9 percent) during the game, while Astana only scored eight points from the stripe. The best player for the winners was American guard Zach Lofton (193-1992, college: NM State, agency: Slash Sports) who scored 23 points and 5 rebounds. Forward Gerard Hadidian (201-1995, college: Lake Land) chipped in 16 points and 7 rebounds. Five Sagesse players scored in double figures. Russian guard Grigory Motovilov (191-1998) produced 25 points and 7 assists and guard Vadim Chsherbak (194-1993) added 18 points and 5 rebounds 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.
Top scorers:
Sagesse: Z.Lofton 23+5reb+2ast, M.Khoueiry 17+4reb+2ast, G.Hadidian 16+7reb+1ast, J.O'Bryant III 15+4reb+3ast, E.Rustom 13+5reb+1ast, C.Lalanne 10+3reb+3ast
Astana: G.Motovilov 25+7ast, V.Chsherbak 18+5reb+3ast, A.Maydekin 9+10reb+2ast, A.Desiatnikov 9+8reb+1ast, V.Simonov 8+3reb+3ast, R.Murzagaliyev 7+3reb+2ast

Al Riyadi - Al Ittihad 97-87

Rather predictable result in Beirut where Lebanese Al Riyadi defeated Saudi Arabian Al Ittihad 97-87 on Wednesday. Al Riyadi dominated down low during the game scoring 66 of its points in the paint compared to Al Ittihad's 34. Al Riyadi looked well-organized offensively handing out 31 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Al Riyadi made 7 blocks. The best player for the winners was Croatian center Marin Maric (211-1994, college: DePaul, agency: BIG) who scored 23 points and 7 rebounds. Australian-South Sudanese center Thon Maker (216-1997) chipped in a double-double by scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Five Al Riyadi players scored in double figures. American point guard Keron DeShields (190-1992, college: Tennessee St., agency: Diamond Sports) produced 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and South Sudanese forward Majok Deng (205-1993, college: ULM) added 25 points and 7 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) respectively for the guests.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: M.Maric 23+7reb+2ast, T.Maker 17+11reb+4ast, A.Mansour 15+3reb+8ast, K.Zeinoun 12+3reb+4ast, H.Gyokchyan 10+1reb+1ast, A.Saoud 10+1reb+10ast
Al Ittihad: K.DeShields 31+6reb+5ast, M.Deng 25+7reb+1ast, Y.Aljohani 22+5reb+1ast, M.Alhwsawi 3+5ast, F.Belal 2+2reb+8ast, M.Almarwani 2+4reb+1ast