FIBA West Asia Super League:
Shahrdari falls to Sagesse in Final 8 opener
Iran’s Shahrdari Gorgan got off to a losing start at the FIBA West Asia Super League Final 8 on Sunday, suffering a 103-97 defeat against Sagesse SC in Group B in Zouk Mikael, Lebanon.
The home side needed some late-game heroics from star forward Youssef Khayat, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, coming through with two truly crucial plays to help Sagesse avert disaster after the Iranian team tied the game at 97-all behind a 9-0 run.
Khayat knocked down the go-ahead jumper for a 99-97 lead with 46.2 seconds to go, and then hauled down D’Angelo Harrison’s missed three-pointer on the other end to get the possession back.
The game would never be in doubt after Jamal Jones pushed the lead to 101-97 before coming through with a big swat on Harrison’s attempt from the corner with only 7.4 seconds remaining.
That stop led to an emphatic end to the tightly contested affair, with athletic winger Deshawndre Washington rising up for an unmolested two-handed slam with 2.9 seconds left to settle the final score.
As the final buzzer rang, all of their faithful filled the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex with cheers and adoration as they witnessed their team finally beat Gorgan in WASL after losing their first three meetings.
“We’re very happy,” said head coach Joe Ghattas. “We deserve to grab a win. I believe the last time we played Gorgan on our court, we lost the game in the last two to three minutes ... Great way to start the tournament.”
Washington top-scored for Sagesse with 27 points, along with 10 rebounds and seven assists, eventually earning Player of the Game honors after the American forward posted an efficiency rating of 40.
Jones finished with 25 points and three of the team’s four blocks. Gerard Hadidian also made his presence felt, especially in the game’s early stages, with 18 points as four players finished in double figures for the winners.
Sagesse faces Al Ula Club today in a battle for the provisional lead in Group B. The Saudi side beat the undermanned Al Arabi SC of Qatar 96-72 earlier.
“Every win is important for us,” said the former player-turned-bench tactician. “We came here to play hard every single night. We need to grab every win to go to the next stage, which is the semifinals.”
Harrison, on the other hand, led Gorgan with 31 points in a comeback that fell just short. Stefan Jankovic had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Jordan Stevens added a 22-3-6 stat line in 40 minutes.
It was this same troika that powered their fourth-quarter assault, with Jankovic and Stevens, together with Amirhossein Azari, powering the aforementioned run that erased their opponents’ 97-88 lead.
Jankovic could have given them the lead but only split his free throws and tied the game instead. It proved to be their final charge, as Stevens and Harrison could no longer find the mark while Sagesse had their way.
Bronze medalists at the 2024 Final 8, Gorgan will try to barge into the win column when it takes on the Red Devils of Qatar today.