March 29th - Week Fifteen - Playoff Round Two Preview

March 29th the Playoffs continue with the Elite Eight match-ups!

11am - 3rd Seed Ikhlas vs 6th Seed Falaq
In their only regular season meeting, Ikhlas got the win by a 74-67 final score. Ikhlas had their full roster available and it showed as they got big games from their stars as Zakariya Tmj Khan put up 20 points while Chad Mondesir and Zamam Khan each added 14 points. If Falaq is to have a chance in this game they need to limit points in the paint and cut of any transition baskets from Ikhlas who like to get into a fast paced game. Falaq kept that previous meeting close but Ikhlas later attributed that to some hot shooting from the outside (9/14 on three's) that they do not expect to happen again. Falaq has struggled at times and were almost upset by Kawthar in the first round so they need to start strong in this game and allow Nathan Campbell and Ahsan Mahmood to get going early.

12pm - 4th Seed Tamjeed vs 5th Seed Takathur
The only regular season meeting between these teams saw Tamjeed lay a 53-36 beating on Takathur. That said, Tamjeed has 10 players available for the game while Takathur only had five so the lack of subs definitely made a difference - thing is that Takathur has been ravaged by injuries and are going to be without Captain Hussain Shivji which is a huge loss. Tamjeed has multiple weapons to use here, expect Jeremy Alleyne andMic Husbenz to lead the scoring while Steve Anagnostopoulos provides them with a little bit of everything. Takathur has a big challenge here but if Faizal Merali and Alhussein Gillani can get their shot going anything is possible.

1pm - 2nd Seed Fatiha vs 7th Seed Adiyat
Adiyat was the winner when these teams met in the regular season and coming into this game felt that they had the advantage to pull of an upset. In that meeting Omar Sabri ate up 16 rebounds and his presence opened things up for Nouraiz Akbar and Saurabh Acharya to get more room to shoot and they took full advantage. Fathia comes in having won their last three games but will be hard pressed to shut down their former teammate in Akbar who can stretch the defense with his ability to shoot from long distance. Assim Chaudhary was big in the first round of the playoffs and will be counted on to provide his offense in this game as well.

2pm - 1st Seed Nas vs 8th Seed Zilzal
Nas came away with a 64-58 win when these teams last met but things have changed since. Sanel Sehic broke his wrist and is likely out (unless he is a very fast healer) and others on Nas were banged up at the end of the regular season. That said they still have Jamal SaugaCity BundyDouglas to lead the way and he will need support from Yasin Douglas andJim Ex along with a big interior presence from Yoosrie Salhia. Zilzal comes into this game having defeated Kursi in the first round and saving Nas from facing a very motivated Sherif Shehata. Zilzal will need big game from Fareed Cheema and Tyler-Anthony Tessier while Andre Henriquesand Rizwan Rana attack in transition. Kenrick Williams will need to establish a presence in the paint as Nas will have issues with his size.

March 15th - Week Fourteen - Playoff Round One Recap

A quick recap of the First Round of the Playoffs:

8th Seed Zilzal defeated 9th Seed Kursi by a 56-42 final score riding a big second half for the win. Kursi had players battling through illness and sickness but the turning point was a silly technical that Kursi picked up that broke momentum and changed the game in Zilzal's favour. Zilzal got a big effort from a trio of players as Tyler-Anthony Tessier, Andre Henriques and Fareed Cheema each finished with 15 points. Kursi was led by ONeil Wells with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Sherif Shehata with 10 points.

7th Seed Adiyat defeated 10th Seed Asr by a 47-38 score. Asr started well and their strategy to limit Omar Sabri with double teams worked as he was limited to 4 points and 9 rebounds but that strategy came with a price.Saurabh Acharya put up 21 points with some solid shooting. Asr was led by Umer Jamal with 13 points and Uzair Danish with 10 points.

6th Seed Falaq defeated 11th Seed Kawthar by a 55-51 final score in a game that went right down to the wire. Falaq was led by Nathan Campbell with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Ahsan Mahmood added 17 points. Kawthar put up a great fight and were led by Farhad Khan with 17 points and 9 rebounds and Komail Rawjani with 16 points. Kawthar had a chance for the upset but missed free throws in the final minutes cost them and allowed Falaq to escape with the win.

5th Seed Takathur defeated 12th Seed Ma'un by a 47-45 final score with a last second buzzer beater for Ma'un rimming out. Takathur came into the game with only five players available and confirmed the loss of Hussain Shivji with an elbow injury. Jamal Khan of Ma'un led all players with 14 points whileThe-Sarim Khan added 10 points in the losing effort. Takathur was led by Omar Shamji with 13 points and Aman Bhojani with 11 points. Ma'un kept the game close throughout and in the final seconds pushed the ball up-court with a chance for the win but Babur Ali had his shot rim out and allow Takathur to avoid the upset.

March 15th - Week Fourteen - Playoff Round One Previews

March 15th the Playoffs start with some interesting match-ups.

11am: 8th Seed Zilzal vs 9th Seed Kursi
In their only regular season meeting, Zilzal rolled to a 58-49 win but Kursi has been forced to make some roster moves due to injuries and Sherif Shehata has had a resurgence in his game with some spectacular efforts of late as Kursi ended their season on a 4-game winning streak. If you are interested in seeing one of the finer games in Shehata's career check out this video from the 2005 I-Slam Basketball Advanced Finals. Zilzal has generally been inconsistent all season and finishing lower than expected considering the talent on their roster but despite their struggles haven't been blown out in a game so if they can put things together...

12pm: 7th Seed Adiyat vs 10th Seed Asr
Their only regular season meeting ended with Asr winning 50-48, Uzair Danish carried his team in the win that day with 19 points and 8 rebounds and he'll need to have another big game if Asr wants to pull off an upset here. Adiyat has the size advantage with Omar Sabri and Shazie Buttar and outside shooting advantage with Nouraiz Akbar and Saurabh Acharya.

1pm: 6th Seed Falaq vs 11th Seed Kawthar
Falaq won both regular season match-ups but by only 7 and 3 points so it wasn't exactly a domination. Kawthar has struggled all season and a consistently short bench has been their primary issue. After a slow start,Komail Rawjani has been their key player and he'll need to be on his game in this match-up. Falaq struggled to end the season but with their duo of Nathan Campbell and Ahsan Mahmood they always have a chance to win.

2pm: 5th Seed Takathur vs 12th Seed Ma'un
Their only regular season meeting saw Takathur win 57-45 as they dominated the boards with a 41-28 advantage. Things may not be as rosy this time around for Takathur who are reportedly dealing with injury issues with captain Hussain Shivji but as long as Faizal Merali and Alhussein Gillaniare on their game then Takathur is expected to advance. Ma'un does have the leagues leading scorer in Jamal Khan and they will need him to have a big game. Some recent solid contribution from The-Sarim Khan and Moazzam Sheikh have helped this team end the season with some promise but it is the leadership of Ahmed Khalid that will be the key.

March 8th - Week Thirteen

A quick recap of Week Thirteen Games:

Adiyat broke their four game losing streak with a 52-48 win over Kawthar who put up a good showing despite having no subs. Komail Rawjani had a big game with 26 points in a losing effort. Adiyat was led by Nouraiz Akbarand Mish Ahmed who each finished with 10 points. Adiyat's struggles have been noted before as after a great start they went into a tailspin so ending the season with a win is a boost going into the playoffs. For Kawthar it has been a tough season highlighted by a short bench most games.

Ikhlas got a default win over Takathur who were ravaged by injuries. If the rumblings are true about an elbow injury to captain Hussain Shivji then a long playoff run for Takathur may be in jeopardy. They had a chance to grab 4th place but the default loss ended that hope and they finished in 5th place. Ikhlas
is now on an 8-game win streak highlighted by their big win over Nas last week.

Ma'un played spoiler by defeating Falaq 66-65 in Overtime to spoil Falaq's chance to grab 4th place and instead dropped them to 6th. Ma'un was led byJamal Khan with 24 points while The-Sarim Khan put up 15 points (5/7 shooting 3's). Solid contributions from Babur Ali with 10 points and Moazzam Sheikh with 9 points were key down the stretch. Falaq was led by Nathan Campbell with 16 points and 15 rebounds while Ahsan Mahmood finished with 14 points and Zohaib Kamal finished with 13 points.

Fatiha ground out a 56-48 surprise win over Nas in a physical affair. Arsalan Jamil led the way with 18 points while Nas was led by Yoosrie Salhia with 17 points and 13 rebounds while Jamal SaugaCity Bundy Douglas finished with 15 points. It was a close game all the way and some close misses from Nas let Fatiha walk away with the win. Nas still clinches first place based upon point differential and the bye will serve them well as Sanel Sehic injured his thumb early in this game and was limited to just 2 points while Jim Ex suffered a lower body injury but persevered on to finish the game.

The upsets continued as Kursi defeated Tamjeed 56-49. Kursi was led by big games from ONeil Wells with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Sherif Shehata with 18 points (including 5/7 on 3's) and 6 rebounds. Tamjeed was led by Jeremy Alleyne with 32 points while the rest of the team struggled to find their rhythm.

Zilzal defeated Asr by a 45-36 final score. Fareed Cheema led Zilzal with 16 points while Tyler-Anthony Tessier finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Asr was led by Zohaib Danish with 13 points and Adil Mirza with 8 points.

March 1st - Week Twelve

A quick recap of Week Twelve Games:

Ikhlas beat up on Nas by a 51-35 final score to ruin the undefeated season for Nas.  Ikhlas came out with their full roster while Nas was without Sanel Sehic​ and Yoosrie Salhia but the score was still a surprise to many except Ikhlas.  Ikhlas came in saying that they were the better team and made a point to control the game to prove it.  Jamal SaugaCity Bundy​ Douglas was tasked with running the offense but could not break free from the Ikhlas defenders who talked of how they limited his chances.  Ikhlas got a big offensive game from Zakariya Tmj Khan​ who put up 20 points to lead his team.  Despite the result both teams are locked into a top three finish.

Kursi picked up a 54-43 win over Adiyat.as they continue their climb up the standings.  Sherif Shehata​ led the way with 13 points and 9 rebounds while ONeil Wells​ put up 15 points and 10 rebounds.  Adiyat was playing without Omar Sabri which showed as they were outrebounded 30-18 and struggled with interior defense.  Adiyat was led in scoring by Assim Chaudhary​ and Mish Ahmed​ who each finished with 10 points.

Tamjeed defeated Zilzal by a 60-49 final score.  They were led by Mic Husbenz​ who torched his opponents for 32 points.  Zilzal was led by Fareed Cheema​ with 17 points and Andre Henriques​ with 15 points.  Tamjeed is picking up their play at the right time as the playoffs approach.

Fatiha grinded out a 51-44 win over Takathur and were led by Mike Jacobs with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Arsalan Jamil​ scored 12 points.  Takathur was led by Faizal Merali​ with 15 points.  The win locked up a top three spot for Fatiha while Takathur drops into a three way tie for fourth place.

Falaq escaped with a 51-48 win over Kawthar in a game that was much closer than expected.  Kawthar came in short benched but rode a big 19 point game from Komail Rawjani​ while Mudasir Marfatia​ finished with 13 points.  Falaq was led by Nathan Campbell with 22 points and 11 rebounds while Osama Arifullah​ had a big game with 11 points and 10 rebounds and had some big plays down the stretch for this team.

Asr defeated Ma'un 43-40 in a game that went right down to the wire.  Ma'un was leading at the half but were not able to hold their lead as Asr chipped away and eventually took the lead.  Asr was led by Uzair Danish​ who finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds including some big baskets down the stretch when his team needed a score.  Zohaib Danish​ played some great defense on leagues leading scorer Jamal Khan​ as he did not give Khan many open looks.  Ma'un was led in scoring by Daniyal Zia​ with 9 points.  Ma'un was hoping for a boost with Musab Zulfiqar​ returning from injury and while he did give them some added scoring he was on a minutes restriction his first game back.