Al Riyadi, Shahrdary Gorgan headline FIBA WASL-West Asia Season 2 Final Phase

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Powerhouse teams Al Riyadi and Shahrdary Gorgan headline the much-awaited FIBA WASL-West Asia Season 2 Final Phase that tips off in March.

Last season's Sub-Zone League finalists are poised to run it back for the crown as they booked direct flights to the Semi-Finals following dominant campaigns in the Group Phase.

The Iranian side was the first to do so even with a game left in their schedule after beating Al-Ittihad Ahli, 80-65, last February 1 at the Al Hamadaniyeh Stadium in Aleppo.

Gorgan would go on to complete their quest of going undefeated in the preliminary round by beating the also-ran Al Naft on the road as well, 101-67, on Wednesday night at the Al Shaeb Hall in Baghdad to finish on top of Group A with an immaculate 6-0 record.

The reigning, three-time Iranian Super League champions are headed to their second West Asia Semis trip in a row after sweeping their group by an average margin of 27.7 points.

Al Riyadi would secure the only other Semis ticket after beating Al Wahda by way of a 79-53 beatdown last February 7 at the Stade Nouhad Nawfal in Zouk Mikael.

They eventually finished Group B with an unscathed 4-0 record as it dealt Al Shorta a 120-90 rout in the same battleground on Thursday in a victory that enabled the multi-titled Lebanese ball club to clinch homecourt advantage for the rest of the West Asia Final Phase.

It was the plan all along of the defending Sub-Zone League champions, for they no longer intend to go through a longer route towards their target destination that is the Finals.

Soon, both Al Riyadi and Gorgan will be monitoring the Qualification to Semi-Finals to take a more thorough look at their potential opponents in the Semis.

Gorgan will face the winner between Al Shorta and Al-Ittihad Ahli in a face-off between the second seed of Group B and the no. 3 team of Group A, respectively.

Set to earn the right to face Al Riyadi, on the other hand, will be another Lebanese team in Sagesse, Group A's no. 2-seed, and the third-ranked team of Group B in Al Wahda.

The Qualification to Semi-Finals in each FIBA WASL Sub-Zone League will pit the second and third seeds in each group against each other.

Teams will play in a best-of-3 series, with the home court advantage going to the second-placed clubs. The winners will then join the teams that topped their respective groups and earned an outright berth to the Semis, which will also be a best-of-3 affair.

Winners will advance to the Final and qualify for the FIBA WASL Final 8, while the losing sides will face off for the two remaining Final 8 spots in a knockout game.

FIBA