| Sharh makes comeback win as Duha continues to struggle |
May 23, 2007 |
On paper this game seemed to be a mismatch as last years champs in Duha were meeting rookie team Sharh but the result was far from the expected. Duha’s gameplan was simple, pound the ball down low and use their size to get baskets and wear down the Sharh defenders.
The game began exactly as Duha wanted with Mohammed Saleh dominating the paint with an array of post moves that gave his team an early lead. Sharh did not have a response as they could not stop Saleh once he got the ball in the post and instead tried their best to deny him the entry pass but with little success. Hassan Moutdayne tried to keep his team in the game and was hitting his mid-range jumper nicely and at the end of the first half it was Duha up 36-28. Saleh led the way with 16 points while Moutdayne responded with 13 points.
The second half saw Sharh begin to chip away as Saleh could not keep up his first half pace. Sharh also began to attack the basket more aggressively and started to get the Duha defenders in foul trouble. Moutdayne was key for Sharh as he drove the lane hard and slowly brought his team back into the game. For Duha, Saleh seemed to be running out of steam as the rest of his teams’ offense seemed to go cold. Sharh tie the game and then quickly took the lead after a Moutdayne 3-pointer, but Duha tied the game up with a Rameez Ahmed clutch 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets late and Duha had a chance for the win with the final possession and the game tied at 59 but could not get their shot to fall.
With all the momentum behind Sharh now, the game went to overtime where Duha’s offense continued to struggle. Sharh took control of the game and ended up winning by a 67-61 score.
Moutdayne led Sharh to the win with a 30 point, 6 rebound and 4 steal game while Simon Cross pitched in with 16 points. Duha was led be Saleh with 26 points and 14 rebounds while Abdul Bari Yousufi finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds.
Looking to next week, Sharh faces the winless Al-Masad squad in a must win game while struggling Duha meets a strong team in Nasr. |
