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WASL
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Saba
decides to withdraw from WASL
An official book from Saba Battery of Iran
were sent today to WABA Comittee to declare their withdraw from WASL's
finals series against Sagesse of Lebanon......
# Before that WABA (West Asian Basketball Federation) had made
important decisions today in their meeting:
-To give the win of the 4th game between Saba of Iran and Sagesse from
Lebanon in the Finals series of WASL for Saba Battery, So they are now
tied in the series 2-2, This was decided after Sagesse's reaction in the
4th game which was held in tehran and withdrew from it.
-The 5th and the last game between Sagesse and Saba in the Finals
series will be played in Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Iran without the fans
of the both teams in 22nd of June 2006.
-Punishing Sagesse club 5 Thousand Dollars after being withdraw from
the 4th game in the series.
-Punishing Saba Battery 15thousand Dollars after not being ready to
orginize the fans and the security
Saba won the 1st game in the series 80-78 last May in their home, Then
Sagesse won in two consecutive games 99-67 in 22nd and 84-81 in 24th of
May in Michel Al Murr court in Beirut, Lebanon.
Big Faliure for WASL company it in their 1st experiment in WASL Club
league in its 1st edition after the withdraw of Al Riyadi Beirut of
Lebanon before and now Saba Battery.......Will this tournament continue
next season??.........Lets wait and see
Saba
Battery - Sagesse game
As a person who was
present at the match, I remark what I saw yesterday in the court:
- The court was not so hostile as the author describes. I didn't hear
any slang word for the opponent from the Saba fans, not before and not
during the match. They cheered like as any other match.
- No one see the stones thrown to the bench. If it would had happened,
the officials present in match should had stop the match. None of the
multiple stops in the match was because of official notice.
- As Mr Mashhoun , the Head of Iran’s Basketball Federation, says the
Saggese fans had used several bigger load speaker in Beirut. I don't
know if a load speaker is allowed in the courts , but why the officials
of the match didn't stop it. And if it is illegal why Saggese used it in
Beirut.
The officials of Saggese stopped the match more than 5 times during the
15 minute play. They wanted to stop the run-up of Saba in the game.
-
Dragan Raca , the Saggese head-coach, withdrew his team after
complaining with the referees. When on of the 3 referees took a foul for
Jerod Ward (206-F/G-76, college:
Michigan), a bench player aggressively run to the court shouting to
them. Then the referees gave a technical foul to him and, I doubt, to
Dragan for his increasing complaint. Why he didn’t take his team when
the claiming stones hit them!
- I didn't see anybody hurt Saggese team. Of course when they leave the
court, the Saba fans hooted them, nothing more.
- The Saba had a great performance during the first 15 minutes of
match, till Saggese withdraw.
They had covered Sims and Fady Khatib very well. Sims had 3 fouls and
Fady Khatib only scored 2 points during the match. On the other side,
Andrew Pits had a superior performance by scoring more than 20 points.
Joseph, scoring 10 points, rebounded all balls from the basket. In first
5 minute, Saba was 18-5 ahead.
by Mehdi Kavousian
The Iranian fans
stops the 4th game in the Finals series of WASL (The official report)
# This article is
translated by Mohammed Malas from the official report of the game of
WABA without any adding on it.......
During the 4th game of the WASL final series that started yesterdayin
Azadi court in Teheran, Iran between Lebanese Sagesse and Saba Battery
of Iran, and as Sagesse was leading the series 2-1, the game play
extended as far as halfway through the 2nd quarter before dramatic and
unacceptable incidents forced Sagesse to withdraw from the game:
Saba were leading before the game stoppage 41-24.
- Even before the game started, the full packed court was very hostile
and aggressive
- When the team entered the lockers room before starting the game, they
noticed the presence of an unjustified and unnecessary video camera
recorder
- Stones were being thrown at Sagesse bench
- Highly loud speakers were setup right behind Sagesse bench,
preventing the players and the coach to hear themselves speaking
- Whenever Sagesse officials Jean Hachache, Roy Antoun or Dragan Raca
attempted to approach the table referees to file a complaint or protest
against the unbearable and unacceptable situation by worldwide
basketball standards, they were prevented from doing so by the security
people in charge.
- When the team and the bench withdrew to their lockers, waiting for
straighten out the problems, a part of the attending crowd attacked them
with screwdrivers on their way out, as it was plainly displayed on the
live TV broadcasting.
The team and staff withdrew to allow WASL and the court officials to
suppress the illegal and out of context conditions. But when Sagesse
delegation president Jean Hachache and team manager Roy Antoun returned
to court to enquire about the problem, they were officially told by WASL
Secretary General Joe Mitri that the Iranian officials were unable to
arrange the situation.
Facing such an out of context surrounding improper for civilized
socializing, least of all official basketball playing, Sagesse decided
to forfeit the game.
Sagesse administration along with coach Dragan Raca are debating the
issue of tomorrow’s final game and the odds of playing it or not.
Sagesse are one step away from WASL title......
Lebanese
Sagesse are now nearer from before to win the title of WASL club league
in its 1st edition after winning over Saba of Iran 84-81 to lead 2-1 in
the finals series of the tournament, The game was held in Michel Al Murr
court in Beirut, Lebanon.
The lebanese were late to enter the game atmosphere before the timeout
of their coach serbian Dragan Racca who made some changes which helped
them to take the lead and control the game in its 1st quarter, The team
succeeded to close the zone and making hard man-to-man defense to end
the quarter 26-17.
In the 2nd quarter, The american duo of Saba Andre Pitts and Garth
Joseph found themselves made the 3rd fould of each of them but that
did'nt let Racca to change his plans in defense and that made the greens
lead more and more after bright performance from Alvin Sims and Fadi El
Khatib, The half finished 51-38 for Sagesse.
The 11 points range which ended for the lebanese in the 2nd quarter
turned to 4 point range lead for Saba after applying a distirct defense
on sagesse's keys El Khatib and Sims, Garth and Andre with Hamed Afagh
found the solutions in scoring many points to increase the lead to 8
points, But after some changes from Racca, The team returned again to
score to end the quarter late by 4 points 62-66.
The 4th quarter was the best quarter in the game, The two teams started
scoring points, Yervant Avakian played as a point guard in thsi quarter
to make the pressure less on Alvin Sims, Saba suffered aftwr the
foul-out of Aidin Bahrami and Behzad Afradi and that let the greens to
make the score tied and then leading by 4 points at last 84-81.
Sagesse 84 - Saba 81 (26-17, 51-38, 62-66 &
84-81)
Best scorers in Sagesse: Fadi El Khatib (32
points & 9 rebounds), Alvin Sims (14 points & 8 rebounds), Basem Bal'aa
(13 points), Jerod Ward (11 points & 9 rebounds)
Best scorers in Saba: Andre Pitts (30 points, 8 assists & 8
rebounds), Garth Joseph (17 points & 16 rebounds), Hamed Afagh (12
points), Aidin Bahrami (7 points)
The 4th game will be held in Azadi sports complex in Tehran, Iran,
If Sagesse won then they will be the champions, Otherwise there will be
5th game also in iran and 100% the title winner will be decided in it.
-The schedule of the finals series of WASL:
Wednesday 17/5: Saba - Sagesse in Tehran, Iran
(80-78)
Monday 22/5: Sagesse - Saba in Beirut, Lebanon (99-67)
Wednesday 24/5: Sagesse - Saba in Beirut, Lebanon (84-81)
Saturday 27/5: Saba - Sagesse in Tehran, Iran
Sunday 28/5: Saba - Sagesse in Tehran, Iran
-The schedule of 3rd place series of WASL:
Tuesday 16/5: Jalaa' - Blue Stars in Aleppo, Syria (90-87)
Tuesday 23/5: Blue Stars - Jalaa' in Beirut, Lebanon (75-81)
Friday 26/5: Jalaa' - Blue Stars in Aleppo, Syria (Canceled after Jalaa'
led 2-0)
Al Jalaa' 3rd in WASL Club League
Al Jalaa' Aleppo of Syria deserved to be 3rd in WASL club league after
winning two out of three games against Blue Stars in the 3rd place
series of WASL Club League, The 2nd game which ended also for Al Jalaa'
81-75 was held in Emil Lahoud Sports complex. The game was so fast from
both teams and the 2 quarters were ended so quickly, Al Jalaa' were
leading most of the two quarters with good moves from the centers of the
team the nigirian NT star Julius Nwuso and Wissam Yakub, but Blue Stars
woke up in the last minute of the 2nd quarter after some good offensive
actions from Tod Day and Johnny Taylor to end it by only one point loss
61-62.
The last two quarters were so different, Low performance from the two
teams made the crowd so bored despite the leading from the syrians, But
Blue Stars players were playing without spirit on the ground and lost
some concentration with weakness in fittness and that made the guests to
utilize that to their side till the end of the game which ended for them
with 6 points range 81-75.
Al Jalaa' 81 - Blue Stars 75 (23-18, 62-61,
83-79 & 81-75)
Best scorers in Al Jalaa': Michel Madanli (20 points, 10
assists & 4 steals), Julius Nwosu (19 points, 22 rebounds & 5 assists),
Wissam Yakoub (14 points & 9 rebounds), Hikmat Haddad (12 points), Ace
Custis (11 points & 10 rebounds)
Best scorers in Blue Stars: Tod Day (15 points), Johnny Taylor
(14 points), Rony Fahed (14 points), Ahmad Ozeir (13 points & 10
rebounds)
Today the 3rd game in the Finals series of WASL Club League between
Saba of Iran and Sagesse from lebanon will be continued today in Michel
Al Murr Court in Beirut, Lebanon, The series is tied 1-1 and each team
will try to make the lead to go to tehran, iran in the 4rth game with
more rest.
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