| On a Mission.... |
Jan 28, 2008 |
This was Fatiha's 3rd consecutive appearance in I-Slam Mississauga's semi-finals, and the only thing stopping them from a 2nd consecutive trip to the championship to defend their title was Qariyah.
Fatiha had their problems with Fatiha in the regular season, finding themselves down for the first time all season at halftime. Luckily they managed to pull things out at the end of that game dominating the 2nd half almost tripling their opponents output. Fatiha was hoping for a repeat of that type of intensity today.
One question entering the game was the status of league MVP Zahir Kolia who sat out Qariyah’s quarter-final game last week with a bum ankle; today he did show and decided to lace it up despite his serious injury. Qariyah also looked to be in good shape due to the presence of Bilal Tayara who was absent from the regular season meeting. Unfortunately Qariyah was missing Justin Colley, a key defender.
The game started well for Qariyah rather than Fatiha as the latter could not seem to figure out Qariyah's zone defence and was getting stripped often as they tried dribbling through the zone. On the other hand, Qariyah was also benefiting from the low post presence of Bilal Tayara. After being down 12-4 early and seeming out of it, Fatiha called a timeout to try and reorganize. Adding to their problems was Sherif Shehata picking up two quick fouls and getting forced to the bench early. Shehata took the opportunity to watch the zone defence that Qariyah was throwing up and Fatiha started to get their stuff together on the defensive side and went on a ridiculous 19-0 run to finish the half up 23-12. Shehata used his quickness to break down the defenders and dish to Deklon Roberts who finished his chances. Fatiha was lead at the half by Roberts and Mike Jacobs with 6 points each while Qariyah was lead by Tayara with 6 points.
Fatiha's momentum carried over to the 2nd half until Qariyah managed to score and end the now 24-0 run. The 2nd half was back and forth and evenly played as Fatiha was content with slower offensive possessions and trading baskets to protect their lead. Kolia was still giving it his all but it was clear that his ankle injury was too much for him to be a dominant force. Fatiha won by a final score of 50-38 and will now advance to the West League Championship game. Fatiha was lead by Roberts with 13 points and was supported by Shehata and Jacobs who each finished with 12 points. Qariyah was lead by Tayara and Kolia who each finished with 13 points.
Fatiha displayed their strong team defence that carried them throughout the regular season and they will need another strong effort against Tamjeed who they will face in the finals. When the teams met in the regular season, Tamjeed won in overtime by a 55-52 score. |
