La Sagesse won their first Wasl Super Cup Group A game, beating defending champions Al-Manama of Bahrain 95-82.
Wasl, General Description
The Wasl Super Cup represents the final stages of the Wasl championship, where the top two finishers qualify for the Asian Club Championship.
The cup brings together the top three teams from the West Asian and Gulf Zone championships, as well as the champions from Kazakhstan and India.
The eight teams are divided into two groups, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals and final. The city of Lusail in Qatar will host the tournament events.
Saturday’s Match
La Sagesse started the match with their classic five, comprising Jonathan Gibson, Omar Jamaleddine, Ahmad Ibrahim, Karim Ezzedine and Nick Rakocevic.
The green team took the lead by playing under the basket, with a first quarter marked by Nick Rakocevic’s performance, ending 21-16 in favor of Sagesse.
In the second quarter, Al-Manama tried to get back into the game thanks to its foreign players Sir’Dominic Pointer, who scored 17 points, and EBanks, who scored 22.
However, both players’ attempts failed in the face of a well-organized Sagesse defense and baskets from Early, who played a key role coming off the bench and maintained the lead with his 27 points in the game (top scorer and player of the game). The second quarter ended 40-49.
Speed Versus Haste
Between speed and haste, there’s only one step, small fractions, subtle differences. This was the difference between the two teams in the third quarter on Saturday. One team imposed its fast pace (La Sagesse), while the other tried to come back and reduce the gap, but haste prevented it.
It’s hard to win with 14 turnovers against a fast team that punished Al-Manama with a basket after every turnover. The third quarter ended with Sagesse in the lead, 67-54.
Three-Point Shots From Gibson and Bobo
Al-Manama didn’t give up so easily, trying close the gap and put pressure on the Greens, who thought they had sealed victory.
The Bahraini team managed to reduce the gap to nine points midway through the final quarter. However, Bobo and Gibson hit two decisive three-point shots at the right time, breathing life back into the team and securing victory with a score of 95-82.
It’s worth mentioning that Lebanon’s second representative, the Riyadi club, plays its first game in the Final 8 of the Wasl championship on Sunday at 9 PM Beirut time against the Kazakh champion, the Astana club.
