Partizan edge Ahly for crown

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Partizan edge Ahly for crown
Partizan players celebrate their victory against Al Ahli in the second Dubai Junior International Basketball Championship on Friday.

Dubai - Hovanovic (19 points) nailed a crucial two-pointer with 30 seconds to go in the final quarter

By Moni Mathews

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Published: Fri 2 Sep 2016, 9:42 PM

Last updated: Fri 2 Sep 2016, 11:50 PM

Branislav Suzjev masterminded Partizan's raids in meticulous fashion and along with Luka Hovanovic's scoring skills, steered his side past Al Ahly of Egypt 59-55 in the final of the second Dubai International Junior Basketball Championship at the American University of Dubai, Friday night.
The Serbians, after their bronze finish in the inaugural edition last year, trailed in the first two quarters (15-16; 23-29) but came back with an improved defensive mechanism to edge past the talented Egyptians who were brilliantly set up by their playmaker-point guard, 'Boody' Abdulrahman Hosamaiden.
Hovanovic (19 points) nailed a crucial two-pointer with 30 seconds to go in the final quarter to put his side into a 57-53 lead and Todor Sorau who was mainly in the second startup five 15 minutes earlier, found two more points for 59-54 as the clock ticked close to the five second mark before the big buzzer.
Minutes earlier after the Balkan club enjoyed a slender 43-41 third quarter lead, Marvo Brekic found the basket on three occasions with his layups from the right flank. Brekic was presented with the MVP plaque for his point tally in the tournament.
For Al Ahly, Omar Tareq took advantage of Boody's wonderful two-handed ball skills to register points at will including four 3-pointers. He kept his side in the hunt though the better rebound and conversions from the turnovers by the Serbian lads finally began to tell on the Egyptians.
"We kept to a plan and despite some soft points given in the opening quarters, we were able to counter the Ahly raids with tighter defensive work," point guard and steady playmaker Suzjev told Khaleej Times.
Serbian coach Marko Stankovic said: "I like the Egyptian style and their determination but quick rethinking in our approach to cut down on the opponents' lightning fast dribbling got us through."
Al Ahli coach Ahmed El Garhi while complimenting Partizan's typical European style of play, said: "We played well but gave too many openings to them (Partizan) and from the turnovers, they converted at least 35-40 per cent of them."
Earlier in the bronze medal playoff, UAE's Al Nasr defeated Jordan's Al Riyadi 68-54 after employing hard press tactics. Long time Al Nasr Under-17 coach Homan Karkoukhi from Syria told Khaleej Times: "We used the traditional man-to-man strategy with minimum use of the zonal method. After our two-point semis defeat we were a little tentative initially but capitalised on the opponents rebound lapses. With hardly six players fully fit and a depleted bench strength, the third place finish is a satisfactory result."
"We played very well as a team despite some disadvantages and this kept us going throughout the tournament. Missing out on the final was a bit sad. But from such experiences we have to keep learning to improve," said Al Nasr topscorer in the playoff, Mohammed Mousa.
"We are very pleased with the way the side approached and fought well in every outing. Next, this U-17 side will enter the national championships in Jordan and this event in Dubai was the right kind of preparatory work," said Fadi Sabbah, secretary general of Al Riyadi Club, Jordan.
moni@khaleejtimes.com


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