Al Riyadi remained the gold standard in FIBA WASL-West Asia after conquering Shahrdary Gorgan, 100-78, in Game 3 of the Final, Wednesday night. Buoyed by their ever-supportive faithful that filled the Stade Nouhad Nawfal, the Yellow Castle seized control early on before pulling away for good late in the second chapter on the way to keeping their hold of the throne in the sub-zone league for the second season in a row. “I’m so proud. I give all the credit to my players,” said head coach Ahmad Farran. “We did prepare them well but in the end, it was all the players and the energy they gave.” The home team attacked from various fronts, with Thon Maker (216-C-1997) and Elmedin Kikanovic (211-C-1988) leading the way with 23 points apiece. Maker shot an efficient 9-of-14 from the field and also collected 12 rebounds, 1 steal, and 4 blocks against only 1 turnover in 24 minutes off the bench. Maker himself spelled the difference anew, scoring 10 of his points in the second period alone that saw him lead their charge in turning a six-point lead to a 54-38 lead entering the half. The game would never be in doubt since. Their lead went up by as high as 27 points, 91-64, behind a Kikanovic conversion inside approaching the final four minutes of the match as the fans were starting to celebrate yet another championship for the Lebanese powerhouse. Amir Saoud (187-G-1991) produced 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 rebounds, while the starting backcourt tandem of main man Wael Arakji (193-G-1994) and Jonathon Simmons (198-G-1989, college: Houston) delivered 12 points each. “The guys executed the plan perfectly and it showed in our numbers,” said Farran as his wards shot 50-percent from the floor, mainly behind their 24 assists – against just 6 turnovers. “It was amazing. The team worked. We did everything to win this game. It was a success.” Now, Al Riyadi will have their sights focused on the FIBA WASL Final 8 next, looking of course to bring home the biggest prize of them all after falling short back in Season 1. Will Cherry (185-PG-1991, college: Montana), on the other hand, finished with 19 points and 6 assists with 2 steals to lead Gorgan, who lost again to the same team that beat them in the inaugural West Asia Final. New signee Diamond Stone (208-C/F-1997, college: Maryland) backed him up with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Navid Rezaeifar (193-G-1996) made 12 points, spiked by a pair of triples, while Sina Vahedi (185-PG-2001, agency: Diamond Sports) chipped in 10 in the defeat.
Courtesy of: riyadi.com

Kuwait Club retained the FIBA WASL-Gulf League title following a 99-92 win over Manama in Game 3 of the Final, Monday night at the Khalifa Sport City in Bahrain. Joseph Young (188-G-1992, college: Oregon) finished with 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists as the newcomer led the fourth-quarter reversal to eventually score a back-to-back in the Sub-Zone League. Marcus Georges-Hunt (196-F-1994, college: Georgia Tech) made 19 points, Hasan Bros. Hamad and Moh scored 16 and 13, respectively, while Cady Lalanne (208-C-1992, college: UMass) added 10 points as the reigning Kuwaiti Division 1 Basketball League champions got back on the team that beat them in the inaugural FIBA WASL Final. Kuwait Club and Manama are two of the three Gulf League teams bound for the FIBA WASL Final 8. The other are sub-zone third-placers Kazma from Kuwait as well.

FIBA WASL-Gulf League Final Standings

1 - Kuwait Club

2 - Manama

3 - Kazma

4 - Muharraq
Courtesy of: fiba.basketball

FINAL

Al Riyadi - Sagesse 100-90

The hosts were ahead by 8 points but lost the second period ending it with a 6-point deficit before their 25-19 run, which allowed them to win the game. Al Riyadi players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists. Sagesse was plagued by 26 personal fouls down the stretch. Australian-South Sudanese center Thon Maker (216-1997) had a double-double by scoring 35 points (!!!), 15 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the charge for the winners and guard Wael Arakji (193-1994) chipped in 20 points and 5 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was American forward Cleanthony Early (203-1991, college: Wichita St.) with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds and his fellow American import point guard Jonathan Gibson (188-1987, college: NM State) scored 23 points and 6 rebounds. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: T.Maker 35+15reb+1ast, W.Arakji 20+4reb+5ast, A.Saoud 13+7reb+8ast, K.Zeinoun 12+6reb+4ast, E.Kikanovic 11+9reb, H.Gyokchyan 5+3reb+2ast
Sagesse: C.Early 25+10reb+1ast, J.Gibson 23+6reb+3ast, O.Jamaleddine 11+8reb+2ast, A.Ibrahim 11+9reb+2ast, N.Rakocevic 10+10reb+2ast, K.Ezzeddine 6+8reb+3ast

3-4 Place

Gorgan - Kuwait 92-76

Gorgan outrebounded Kuwait 51-27 including a 21-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. Gorgan looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Kuwait's players. It was a good game for center Salar Monji (203-1997, agency: BIG) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). Arsalan Kazemi (201-1990, college: Oregon, agency: BIG) contributed with 9 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals for the winners. Haitian center Cady Lalanne (208-1992, college: UMass) replied with 20 points and 8 rebounds and American guard Joseph Young (188-1992, college: Oregon) added 23 points in the effort for Kuwait. Four Kuwait players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Gorgan: S.Monji 25+12reb+1ast, S.Vahedi 23+2reb+5ast, W.Cherry 13+7reb+8ast, M.Sheikhi 11+2reb+3ast, N.Rezaeifar 9+4reb+3ast, A.Kazemi 9+20reb+5ast
Kuwait: J.Young 23+3reb+1ast, C.Lalanne 20+8reb+1ast, M.Adnan 13+5reb, H.Hasan 10+4reb+2ast, M.Georges-Hunt 6+2reb+3ast, T.Al-Shamri 2+2ast

Finals MVP: Thon Maker (216-C-1997) of Al Riyadi
Player of the Year: Clinton Chapman (208-F/C-1989) of Kazma
Guard of the Year: Wael Arakji (193-G-1994) of Al Riyadi
Forward of the Year: Clinton Chapman (208-F/C-1989) of Kazma
Center of the Year: Cady Lalanne (208-C-1992) of Kuwait

First Team
Jonathan Gibson (188-PG-1987) of Gorgan
Wael Arakji (193-G-1994) of Al Riyadi
Travis Leslie (193-F/G-1990) of Kazma
Clinton Chapman (208-F/C-1989) of Kazma
Cady Lalanne (208-C-1992) of Kuwait

Second Team
Will Cherry (185-PG-1991) of Gorgan
Sina Vahedi (185-PG-2001) of Gorgan
Marcus Georges-Hunt (196-F-1994) of Shabab Al Ahli
Sir'Dominic Pointer (198-G/F-1992) of Al-Manama
Elmedin Kikanovic (211-C-1988) of Al Riyadi