JEDDAH, 2 April 2007 — Ittihad finished the regular season of the Saudi Basketball Federation undefeated in 18 games, when they beat Al-Ahli 72-63 in the Al-Jawal-sponsored Saudi Basketball Super League Saturday night at the Prince Abdullah Al Fasial Stadium Complex here. The Jeddah derby was of no consequence as Ittihad had already sealed the title last week. It also registered their fourth success in the league.
Ittihad beat a strong defense by Al-Ahli with inside power plays, good three-point shooting, and fast breaks. A low-scoring first period, turnovers and poor shooting ended Ittihad up 14-7. At half time, it was Ittihad leading 33-20. Ahli never did get back on track as Ittihad romped home.
Ittihad’s first five scored in double figures, Tony Madison 23 points and 9 assist, Adel Al-Johani 15 points, Jabber Al-Kabi 12 points, Priest Lauderdale 11 points and 9 blocked shots, and Ali Mugrabi 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ahli’s Jerod Bledsoe had 19 points, J. R. Patrick 15 points, and Mutar Falatha 12 points.
The top six teams in the league start the playoffs this Thursday. Ittihad, Al-Ansar, Ahli, Ohud, Al-Hilal and Al-Qadisiya will be in fray.
The championship was held under the patronage of Prince Talal ibn Badr, president of the Saudi Arabian Basketball Federation. Saudi Telecom Company President Saud Al-Darweesh and Ittihad President Mansour Al-Balwi attended the derby.
Ittihad ended the league with 36 points, with Al-Ansar second and Ahli third.
The victory means a lot to us, said Ittihad star Ali Al-Maghrabi, adding that team had worked hard for this success. The league was a very exhausting. This final match was of no consequence, but we wanted to end our season on a victorious note.
The number of clubs participating in the league is growing and this he says is a sign of the growing popularity of the sport. He, however, adds that to have a strong league it should be a two-tier one.
“At present we have ten teams in the league, and from the next season the number will be 12. To guarantee we set up a strong league, it would be better to have a two-tier system in the league with the top six teams in the top tier and the remaining six in the second,” he said.
Al-Johani wished for more clubs’ support for the teams. “Ittihad is dominating all the — juveniles, youth and first team — competitions due to the support we are getting, but it is time for other clubs to be there with the same performance and enthusiasm,” he said.
Now, the basketballers are looking forward to the Gulf Basketball Championship and the Arab Basketball Championship. “We are hoping to win these two, and that is our next target,” Al-Johani told Arab News.
Al-Hilal placed fourth, Ohud fifth, Al-Qadisiya sixth, Al-Wehda seventh, Al-Nahda eighth, Al-Nasr ninth and Al-Masirah tenth.
