Beirut Club look to sweep ZobAhan; Orthodox Amman, Al-Ittihad Ahli lock horns
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Beirut Club will put their unbeaten run at stake against a streaking ZobAhan as they clash anew, while Orthodox Amman hope to get another win against Al-Ittihad Ahli in WASL-West Asia.
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Beirut Club will look to remain unbeaten entering the second half of their campaign in WASL-West Asia on Wednesday night.
The Group A leaders will stake their clean 3-0 record against ZobAhan on the road at the Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran, keen as well on sweeping their Iranian counterparts after coming out triumphant in their first encounter.
Closing out the week, meanwhile, will be Orthodox Amman's meeting with Al-Ittihad Ahli in their own stomping grounds at the Prince Hamza Sport Hall, looking to repeat over their still-winless opponents to re-enter the win column.
Group A
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Beirut Club | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100 | 250 | 183 | 67 | 83.3 | 61 | 6 |
| 2 | ZobAhan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 66.7 | 220 | 208 | 12 | 73.3 | 69.3 | 5 |
| 3 | Orthodox Amman | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33.3 | 198 | 216 | -18 | 66 | 72 | 4 |
| 4 | Al-Ittihad Ahli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 163 | 224 | -61 | 54.3 | 74.7 | 3 |
25 January 2023
ZobAhan vs Beirut Club - 18:00 GMT+3:30 - Tehran, Azadi Basketball Hall
26 January 2023
Orthodox Amman vs Al-Ittihad Ahli - 18:00 GMT+3 - Amman, Prince Hamza Sport Hall
Beirut Club have ascended to the top of Group A after dismantling their foes by an average of 22.3 points, including a 90-69 decimation of Al-Ittihad Ahli in their previous outing to collect their third win in as many games.
Their fiery streak started off with a 73-56 victory over ZobAhan last December 22, and so eyes are on the Ali Haidar-led crew if they can do it again.
But the squad they're about to face in a rematch has become far different from the one they battled in their season debut, for they have redeemed themselves right after that defeat and are now in the midst of a two-game winning streak.
ZobAhan vented their ire against Al-Ittihad Ahli, 75-54, then followed it up with an 89-81 win over Orthodox Amman behind Sajjad Mashayeki's stewardship.
Orthodox Amman and Al-Ittihad Ahli, on the other hand, will square off on Thursday, with the former looking not just for redemption but for their second win of the tournament against the very same team they got their first.
STAR TO WATCH
Kenny Hayes
Guard
Beirut Club
Kenny Hayes made history in leading Beirut Club's rout of Al-Ittihad Ahli.
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The 35-year-old finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, tallying the first triple-double in WASL-West Asia and only the second in all of WASL after Al Sadd's Vander Blue (17-10-10) over at the Gulf League last December 20.
Entering Wednesday's match, Hayes is averaging 14.3 points on 42.9-percent shooting, 6.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists -- tops in West Asia -- per game.
FIBA