3-0 Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai out to keep rolling; Kazma shoot for brace
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai will try to become the first to reach four wins, while Kazma go for back-to-back as all teams face one another again starting in Week 5 of WASL.
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Maintaining their perfect run is surely on top of Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai's priorities in Week 5 of the WASL-Gulf competitions.
The ball club from the Emirates continue to own pole position of Group A with an immaculate 3-0 record, and are looking to keep mastery of the three other teams now that the pool stages are entering the home stretch.
Group A
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100 | 237 | 225 | 12 | 79 | 75 | 6 | |
| 2 | Al Hilal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 66.7 | 252 | 221 | 31 | 84 | 73.7 | 5 | |
| 3 | Kazma | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33.3 | 262 | 264 | -2 | 87.3 | 88 | 4 | |
| 4 | Al Bashaer | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 200 | 241 | -41 | 66.7 | 80.3 | 3 | |
16 January 2023
Kazma vs Al Hilal - 19:30 GMT+3 - Kuwait City, Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex
17 January 2023
Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai vs Al Bashaer - 18:00 GMT+4 - Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall
Shabab Al Ahli made it three in a row following a 75-70 escape at the hands of Al Hilal last January 2 at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall.
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The circumstances couldn't be any better in their bid to win their fourth straight as they play at home once more, but the crew will be up against an Al Bashaer side looking to end their misery after suffering one too many heartbreaks.
Latest of which was a 77-84 defeat against Kazma on the road, where their comeback from a 12-point third-quarter hole fell short and eventually witnessed the team from Kuwait break through in the win column.
That was Al Bashaer's third defeat in as many games, remaining the only team in the group that has yet to register a victory.
Now, they have a shot at not just tallying win no. 1 but to exact vengeance against the very same team that gave them a rude WASL welcome.
Kazma, meanwhile, are out to keep the momentum going when they battle Al Hilal anew on Monday at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex, keen on going .500 after starting the season with a pair of losses.
And surely, they're out to write the upcoming chapter in their favor after that heartbreaking loss to the Saudi Arabian side in Riyadh in their debut.
YOUNG WARD TO WATCH
Hamid Abdullateef Albreiki
Guard
Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai
Veterans Nick Minnerath, Omar Alshabebi, and Milan Milosevic have been the major forces behind Shabab Al Ahli's great start but Hamed Lateef is proving that he, too, can contribute when given the opportunity.
Proof of that was their tight win over Al Hilal to start the New Year triumphantly as he submitted his best performance of the season to date.
There, the 22-year-old almost tied his two-game total prior with 12 points, on top of 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block for a full line.
FIBA