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-October
16th:
* Sagesse v/s
Syrian Army Club: (94-89)
With
their win over Syrian Army Club, 94-89, Sagesse reached
the semi finals of the Damascus International Tournament
and meet Wednesday Egyptian Zamalek, leader of Group One.
Yet,
Sagesse showed their poorest performance in this preseason
tourney and their defense was so porous that they rendered
Osama Madani, a normally below-average player, a big-shot
scorer. SAC point guard Firas Hamawi was able to tear
Sagesse’s defensive walls to give Madani at least five
assists and let his team in the game and lurking to regain
the lead they built during the first quarter.
Head
Coach Ghassan Sarkis opted for an unusual lineup that
included Badr Makki, Sherrel Ford, Elie Nasr, Ali Chamsine
and Assane Ndiaye who was able to grab five offensive and
three defensive rebounds in the first quarter. However, he
failed to transform his offensive rebounds into more than
four points.
In
the second quarter, Sagesse tied at 25, grabbed the lead
and never relinquished it. Johnny Rhodes ran the point and
Marwan Hajj, who replaced Ndiaye, grabbed four rebounds.
Elie Mechantaf’s two defensive rebounds got quickly into
the hands of Fadi Khatib who turned them into fast breaks.
Mechantaf and Ford’s three-pointers kept Sagesse two
points ahead at the break, 45-43. Ford gave three assists.
Mechantaf
and Khatib found their magic in the third quarter but the
team’s defense was still shaky, which kept SAC
threatening. Mechantaf’s three-pointer kept Sagesse
ahead by three points, 66-63.
In
the fourth quarter, Mechantaf drew 8 fouls and went five
times to the foul line for seven points. Khatib got 5
points from three fouls. Two SAC players fouled out in the
last three minutes but Radwan Hasaballah reduced the gap
to three points with a long shot. Mechantaf, who turned
the ball over with 15 seconds remaining, compensated with
a steal and Ford drew a foul and added two free throws.
Starters:
Badr Makki, Sherrel Ford, Elie Nasr, Ali Chamsine and Assane
Ndiaye.
Substitutes:
Johnny
Rhodes, Elie Mechantaf, Fadi EL Khatib and Marwan Hajj.
Q1:
22-23 – Q2: 47-43 – Q3: 68-63 – Q4: 94-89.
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