JEDDAH, 13 April 2007 — Once again, Ittihad stomped undefeated through both the regular seasons and the playoffs of the AlJawal-sponsored Saudi Basketball competitions to seal their 37th Championship title last night.
At the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium complex, Ittihad stamped their authority to outplay Ohud 84-79 in the second game of the best-of-three final in the series.
Point guard Calvin Cage gave Ohud the upper hand by shooting eight points in the first quarter that ended 16-14 in Ohud’s favor. Ali Maghrabi, the star of the Ittihad team, collected 10 points in the first quarter. Tony Madison and Priest Lauderdale turned the table in the second quarter as they both scored 12 points each for Ittihad. Ittihad put up good defense to lead 47-33 at the halftime buzzer. Ittihad’s inside power game took over and emphasized their dominance. This has been the most exciting season in years. The caliber of import players has had a tremendous effect on the quality of game. Ittihad were in total control and despite the absence of Maghrabi, who limped out of the game with a leg injury, they did not let the game slip and finished the third quarter ahead, 66-58. After three minutes in the fourth quarter, Cage and Abdul Mohsen got their act together to bring the game on an even keel. They kept the game close for at least five minutes and with two minutes left, tied the game at 80-80. The star of the night was Ittihad’s Madison. Every time Ohud got close, he scored or passed inside to Lauderdale, who would score and put Ittihad in the lead again. The final score was Ittihad 84 and Ohud 79. Madison’s ball control and the coaching of Daniel Maffi pulled out the win. Madison had 25 points and 12 assists. Lauderdale had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and Maghrabi scored 13 before leaving the game. Ohud’s Cage had 30 points and 9 assists. Ismail Samaka and Abdul Mohsen added 15 points apiece. This year’s tournament had some of the best import players that really gave the game a distinct flavor. Cage, and Jihad Mohammad scored 30 points many a nights during the season. Madison’s controlling the game and, big man Lauderdale, Steven Howard, Jared Merrill, and Jules Camara made the slam dunk a common practice. This year the Saudi Basketball Federation invested in advanced training for the referees for the first time resulting in better calling of the plays.
As Saudi Arabia grow in practice and awareness of exactly what outstanding play and what constitutes quality refereeing, love of the game of basketball will surely spread.
