Strong Group Athletics sweeps Group B of Dubai tournament
STRONG Group fended off Al Ahly Tripoli Sports Club from Libya, 91-89, in the battle of unbeaten teams to complete a group sweep entering the quarterfinals of the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship yesterday at the Al Nasr Club.
Jordan Heading came through with a timely eruption of 19 points, including the game-sealing freebies in the last 18 seconds as the Filipino squad wiped out Group B with a 5-0 record.
Kevin Quiambao was steady with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists while Dwight Howard poured 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter laced by eight rebounds and two blocks.
Andre Roberson and Andray Blatche contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Strong Group in its biggest test yet in the 12-team Dubai joust heading into the knockout stage.
At No. 1 in Group B, Strong Group will try to get over the hump against the still-to-bedetermined fourth-ranked team in Group A for a seat in the Final Four — a feat it fell short of achieving after succumbing to eventual champion Al Riyadi in the quarterfinals last edition.
The wards of coach Charles Tiu started flat with an early 15-27 deficit only to find its groove, slowly but surely, with Messrs. Heading and Howard at the helm.
Strong Group finally snatched the driver’s seat at 74-73 after three quarters and managed to pull away at 89-82 off a Mr. Howard bucket before Heading doused cold water on Al Ahly’s fiery comeback.
Skipper Mohamed Sadi and Nicholas West strung six unanswered points to push the Libyan club to within 88-89 but Mr. Heading came to the rescue with steely freethrows to seal the deal.
Wajdi Omran Dawo split from the charity stripes after Mr. Heading’s late foul for the final tally.
Naseim Badrush (27), Sadi (22), Walter Muñoz (17) and West (10) led Al Ahly, which finished second in Group B with a 4-1 record. — John Bryan Ulanday
The Scores:
Strong Group 91 — Heading 19, Howard 17, Quiambao 17, Roberson 13, Blatche 10, Moore 7, Baltazar 3, Liwag 3, Escandor 2, Ynot 0, Cagulangan 0, Sanchez 0.
Al Ahly 89 – Badrush 27, Sadi 22, Munoz 17, West 10, Wesley 6, Dawo 5, Ramadan 2, Abdrahim 0, A Sedek 0, Alakrimi 0, Munam M Fellah 0, Sawie 0.
Quarterscores: 20-27, 51-50, 74-73, 91-89.