ABL Round 18 of Regular Season

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.



Ordu - Lankaran 87-65

No shocking result in a game when third ranked Ordu (12-7) crushed at home 6th ranked Lankaran (3-16) 87-65 on Tuesday. American forward Jamaure Gregg (201-1999, college: NSU) notched a double-double by scoring 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead the effort and the other American import point guard Griffin Ramme (190-1989, college: Chapman, agency: Starting 5) supported him with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Four Ordu players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 18 points and 24 rebounds by American forward Emanuel Littles (201-1999, college: Nicholls) did not help to save the game for Lankaran. Point guard Varid Aghasizada (175-2004) added 6 points. Ordu moved-up to second place, which they share with Nakhchivan. Lankaran lost sixth consecutive game. Lankaran at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the sixth position with 16 games lost.
Top scorers:
Lankaran: O.Abbasov 18+24reb+3ast, A.Varid 6+1reb+1ast, A.Rashid 1+1reb, A.Orkhan 1+1reb, B.Jeremy 0+1reb+1ast,
Ordu: G.Ramme 19+5reb+6ast, J.Gregg 18+14reb+2ast, J.Thomas 15+5reb+4ast, I.Pope 10+4reb+2ast, S.Ismayilov 3+2reb+2ast, V.Markovetskyy 0

Nakhchivan - Absheron 58-60

Fourth ranked Absheron (8-11) saved a 2-point victory on the road edging second-best Nakhchivan (12-7) 60-58 on Tuesday evening. American players dominated also this game. Forward Jalen Shaw (208-2000, college: Clayton St.) scored 9 points and 15 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and guard Aubrey McAlpine (196-1989, college: RMU) chipped in 15 points during the contest. McAlpine is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. The best for the losing side was guard Jordan Perkins (185-1998, college: Longwood) with 19 points and 9 assists and forward Devaughn Jenkins (201-1995, college: Angelo St.) scored 14 points and 8 rebounds. Absheron maintains fourth position with 8-11 record, which they share with Sumqayit. Nakhchivan at the other side keeps the second place with seven games lost. They share the position with Ordu.
Top scorers:
Nakhchivan: J.Perkins 19+4reb+9ast, D.Jenkins 14+8reb, L.Petrovski 9+3reb+8ast, N.Guliev 5+2reb+4ast, A.Mammadli 3+1reb, Y.Abbasov 0
Absheron: A.McAlpine 15+2reb+2ast, W.Jenkins III 9+4reb+1ast, J.Shaw 9+15reb+3ast, I.Abdullayev 6+2reb+2ast, O.Alizade 0, M.Sadikov 0

Sheki - Gence 91-87

Fifth defeat of league's leader Gence (14-5) against second ranked Sheki (15-4) 91-87 was the most important game of the last round. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Gence. It was a key game for the top position in the league. American players dominated the game. It was a good game for forward Joshua Robinson (198, college: Chadron St.) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Roti Ware (191-1998, college: SF Austin) contributed with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Guard Jordan Forbes (193-1998, college: Salem) replied with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists and guard LaVone Holland II (190-1994, college: NKU) added 14 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Gence. Four Gence players scored in double figures. Sheki have an impressive five-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Sabah. Gence at the other side dropped to the second place with five games lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by Sheki.
Top scorers:
Gence: J.Forbes 17+9reb+6ast, R.Burrell 17+2reb+1ast, L.Holland II 14+8reb+3ast, M.Gilson 13+8reb, J.Akbarov 7+7reb+1ast, E.Shirzadov 2+1ast
Sheki: J.Robinson 27+11reb+3ast, R.Ware 25+8reb+6ast, P.Dibal 6+5reb, E.Yildiz Donat 4+2reb, A.Oduleye 4+2reb+1ast, T.Yusifzade 2+1ast

NTD - Sabah 79-105

Another interesting game was a derby match between two local teams from Baku: Sabah (#1) and NTD (#6). NTD was smashed at home by 26 points 79-105 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. Sabah dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to NTD's 10. They outrebounded NTD 37-13 including a 31-11 advantage in defensive rebounds. Sabah looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 6 passes made by NTD's players. Americans were the main players on the court. Guard Hassani Gravett (188-1996, college: S.Carolina) notched a double-double by scoring 23 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the effort and power forward Trey Sampson (206-2000, college: UAPB) supported him with 19 points and 6 assists. Four Sabah players scored in double figures. Sabah's coach Rimas Kurtinaitis felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Even 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists by guard Zyon Patterson (201, college: HSU) did not help to save the game for NTD. Power forward Galen Smith (204, college: Mississippi Coll.) added 11 points. Sabah have a solid four-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with 15-4 record, which they share with Sheki. Loser NTD dropped to the fifth place with 13 games lost. They share the position with Serhedci.
Top scorers:
NTD: G.Smith 11+3reb+1ast, Z.Patterson 9+7reb+4ast, M.Babayev 9+2reb+1ast, M.Bazzi 0, D.Moody 0+1reb, A.Mammadov 0
Sabah: H.Gravett 23+8reb+11ast, T.Sampson 19+2reb+6ast, J.Eads III 18+1reb+4ast, M.Holton Jr. 14+3reb+1ast, A.Voinalovych 12+3reb, R.Guliyev 6+2reb+4ast

Serhedci - Neftci 70-84

Rather expected game when 5th ranked Serhedci (6-13) lost to third ranked Neftci (10-9) in Baku 70-84 on Wednesday. Neftci made 19-of-24 free shots (79.2 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists comparing to just 5 passes made by Serhedci's players. American forward Jamaal Brantley (198-1993, college: Cameron, agency: BIG) notched 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the effort and international point guard Kamran Mammadov (187-2000) supported him with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Brantley is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top summer league for players who want to play basketball overseas. Neftci's coach Anar Sariyev used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Even a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds by Serbian center Milenko Veljkovic (218-1995) did not help to save the game for Serhedci. American point guard Antonio Williams (183-1997, college: Kent St.) added 8 points. Neftci maintains third position with 10-9 record having five points less than leader Sheki. Serhedci lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the fifth place with 13 games lost. They share the position with NTD.
Top scorers:
Serhedci: M.Veljkovic 13+12reb+2ast, A.Williams 8+4reb+2ast, M.Taylor 8+3reb, T.Ulash 4+4reb, N.Nasirov 2+1ast, N.Memmedli 2+1reb
Neftci: J.Brantley 14+6reb+4ast, P.Bacon 13+3ast, D.Stewart 11+4reb+2ast, V.Hendrix 11+2reb, B.Suggs 9+4reb+3ast, L.Polite 8+7reb+2ast