"This is a throw-down, a show-down. Hell no, i can't slow down. It's gonna go!". So eloquently said by the Maestro. If he witnessed this game he would have stuck it in his music video.
The championship game was finally here and it was between Ash-Shams and Humazah. Ash-Shams looked to be in better position in this match as they had an hour rest and one player on the bench. On the other hand, Humazah looked a bit fatigued from their sprint with Sharh especially since they had no bench players. That was no different in the finals as Humazah was still without any substitutes. Considering they were able to get past Sharh it wouldn't be surprising if they continued to play at the same pace.
Well that's exactly what happened. Humazah was simply flying in the beginning. Thanks to baskets by Saleh Mohamed and Tarik Dualeh plus a long bomb by Ismail Ismail and Humazah was off to a 12-0 lead! Ash-Shams weren't helping themselves as they constantly shot themselves in the foot causing stupid turnovers and rushing their shots. Fifteen minutes into the half Ash-Shams found themselves trailing 24-13. The only one that appeared to be able to make baskets was Sameem Mirza. He seemed to be carrying the team. More confusing was the fact that big man Donovan Gayle settled to take outside jumpers rather than attacking Humazah's smaller defense. Gayle's shots were not falling and yet he attempted four futile three-pointers in that stretch. Nima wasn't playing too bright in that stretch either as he drained a three-pointer early only to go 0-5 shortly after. This was enough for captain Ahsan Raza who blew his top at his team and called for a time-out.
Looks like the fire ignited on the captain caught on to the rest of the team as well. Suddenly the bulb above their heads lit and they were playing a whole different game. Donovan finally realized that he was stronger and taller than the other team and that he could charge his way to the basket. Mohammed Sayeed was doing the same thing and dishing the ball to his teammates for easy open baskets. Meahwhile Humazah was left bewildered unable to stop the momentum that was building. They tried to attack the rim but missed numerous layups and shots. Three minutes after calling a timeout Sharh had mounted their own 12-point run and took the lead 25-24, Humazah was left reeling and were forced to call a time-out.
By the end of the half Ash-Shams had taken the lead 32-28. The rally that put Ash-Shams in the lead ended up being one serious Slam Jam session. Mohammed Sayeed got the crowd up on their feet several times with dunk and also a two-handed flush. Donovan Gayle did event better with a serious two-handed throw down that had the rim shaking. These were just signs of what was to come next.
The second half was all Ash-Shams. The lack of substitutes hurt them big time. Saleh Mohamed was suffering big time from cramps in both his legs. Ismail Ismail injured his knee in a collision with Donovan and found himself hobbling around. These two situations didn't help Humazah at all. That was only good news for Sharh as they were able to open up the floor more, create lots of turnovers, and drive to the hoop in wreckless abandon. The Jam-Fest didn't end there. Gayle set up Saeed for a ridiculous alley-oop reverse two-handed jam. The two repeated the show but only switching roles with Sayeed stealing a ball and then lobbing a pass to Gayle that was snagged out of the air and thrown down with his own reverse jam. Gayle and Saeed continued to throw down several more dunks while the scorekeepers struggled to keep track of all of the unexpected dunks. In the end this game was looking really ugly but Ansar Shaikh of Humazah stepped up to keep his team within 10 points. Unfortunately that's not enough to get back into the game and Ash-Shams sailed to victory and the championship with a score of 63-54.
Mohammed Sayeed and Donovan Gayle finished with 15 points each while Gayle had an impressive 11 rebounds but not as good as Ahsan Raza's 14 boards. For Humazah Ismail Ismail had another solid game with 18 points and had his team won he would surely have won the Playoffs MVP award. That honour was a difficult decision and the organizers and scorekeepers took some time to deliberate but in the end Mohammed Sayeed was given the trophy for a solid campaign. |
