| Oh So Close…!!! |
Jan 16, 2008 |
Kawthar had just come up with a remarkable victory in their first round match-up earlier in the day. But the next game would be a lot tougher, as they had the uphill task of facing one of the elite teams in the league, Al-Fil. Not only that, Al Fil’s dominant big man, Abdulla made his return after a 3 game absence.
The second round match-up was underway as Kawthar played tough, trying to score on every drive and opportunity they could find. They were successful, as August continued to score as he aggressively took the ball to the basket. Adit and Mudasir, who seemed fresh after the rest they received in the first game, continued their brilliant shooting connecting on 5 three pointers in the opening 10 minutes. Al Fil was not playing up to their potential, and it was very evident as they failed to run back on defense, and looked very sluggish on both ends of the floor.
Rameez and Abdulla did their best to keep their team in the game, as they worked together with their inside-outside games. But with the talent that Al Fil had, they were playing nowhere near their full potential, and Kawthar was certainly taking advantage. With 5 minutes remaining in the half, Kawthar lead 30-26. Kawthar than increased their lead to 35-28 after Adit hit another 3 pointer. This kid was unstoppable! Kawthar was playing flawless, that is until Hadi stole the show and ruined the moment. Hadi successfully sank two deep threes back to back, and just like that, Al-Fil was down 35-34 heading into the half. Al Fil was led by Abdalla’s 10 pts, while Hadi chipped in with 11. Kawthar was led by Adit who poured in 13 first half pts and August, who had 8.
The second half picked up right where it left off, as Kawthar continued to play hard. Al Fil was not having a good game, and frustration began to boil over as Yassir was hit with a Tech after his collision with Mudasir. Mudasir connected on 1 of 2 free throws, and on the following drive, August connected on an And-1 bucket, giving his team 41-36 lead. The crowd was standing at this point, as everyone believed that there was going to be an upset in the making! But Abdulla hushed the crowd, scoring on the following possession. But Adit got the crowd back up as he hit a Big 3, giving his team a 6 point lead with 8 minutes left to go in the half!
Al-Fil who continued to struggle, clanked again on their next possession and was unable to score. Kawthar quickly grabbed the rebound, and dribbled the ball upcourt, where Mudasir found an open Smith who hit his jumper! The lead was now 8 with less then 7 minutes remaining in the game! David was certainly beating Goliath thus far, but could Kawthar continue their remarkable run??? Kawthar continued to score on their drives, but Al Fil slowly started to gain some momentum as they used their inside weapon, Abdulla who was clutch. Rameez was also clutch as he hit a huge 3 pointer to bring his team within 2 pts. The score was now 51-49 with only 4 minutes remaining. But Kawthar was relentless, and was keen on winning this game.
Muhammad found himself at the line, where he hit 1 of 2 free throws. Adit then came back and took advantage of a horrible defensive malfunction as he scored on a wide open layup. Kawthar now led 54-49 with only 2:30 remaining on the clock! Oh were they ever close! Greg, who was more active in the second half, hit a big 3 pointer on the following possession to cut the lead to 54-51. Al Fil then scored the next 5 points and now lead 56-54! But Kawthar was not giving up, as Kevin Smith was able to score on his mid range shot to tie the game once more at 56 a piece. Al Fil then took the lead on the next play, and with only 25 seconds remaining, Adit showed why he was the real deal as he scored on another layup to tie the game at 58 a piece! With only 12 seconds remaining, Al Fil decided to give their ball to their big man, Abdulla.
Abdulla pounded his way to the basket, only to be fouled. Heading to the line, Abdulla sank his first free throw and gave his team a 59-58 lead. He missed the second free throw, and Kawthar had one last chance to win this game. With their defense out of sight the entire game, Al Fil finally played defense in the last 8 seconds the way it should be played, as they forced Kawthar to attempt a shot that had no chance of going in. Al Fil escaped with a 59-58 victory, and advanced to the semi’s. A heartbreaking loss for Kawthar, but the way they played this game should not be any reason for them to hang their heads. For 39 minutes, Kawthar was the better team, but Al Fil’s experience and clutch performance in the dying minutes proved why they are legitimate contenders for the I-Slam Championship! |
