ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Sagesse SC denied Shabab Al Ahli a spot at the podium by way of a 100-86 victory to finish third in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final 8 2025, Sunday at the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
The Green Castle pulled away from a narrow 78-77 lead with Jad Khalil leading the way toward salvaging a bronze medal in quite a consolation for the Semi-Final heartbreak they suffered against Tabiat last night.
Motivated by last year's loss to Al Riyadi in the Final, Sagesse wanted no less than a return to the Big Dance but settled for third place instead, which is nonetheless a feat as they remained within the top three finishers.
"Actually, it wasn't an easy game after the loss yesterday. But the guys fought, and we got the win," offered assistant coach Omar Bakri post-game. "It was very hard to concentrate, but we did our job."
Khalil top-scored for the Lebanese Basketball Championship outfit with 27 points on an efficient 55-percent shooting from the field, on top of his 6 rebounds and 9 assists as he played all 40 minutes.
The 28-year-old point guard scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter alone as he presided over their strong finish to finally leave the defending WASL-Gulf League titlists behind once and for all.
He knocked down a mid-range jumper shortly after the opposition came to within a point at the 8:59-mark, before Omar Jamaleddine and Gerard Hadidian chipped in to make it seven straight for an 84-77 lead.
Johnny O'Bryant would join in the fray, and Khalil himself refused to slow down either. They knocked down big three-pointers to eventually build a 14-point wall, 96-82, with 2:28 left, all but sealing the deal.
The former NBA big man finished with 25 points and 9 rebounds in a performance that saw him knock down a quartet of triples as he and Khalil accounted for nine of the team's 14 shots from deep.
Jamaleddine came through with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while Cady Lalanne added 14 points and 11 rebounds as the four stepped up in the absence of Zach Lofton, who got hurt versus Tabiat.
"It was tough. I know we wanted better results, but the results are what they are," said O'Bryant, who also had 2 steals to his tally. "So we just came out, tried to fight hard, and played with some pride."
Leading Shabab Al Ahli, on the other hand, was Deshawndre Washington with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists in a losing effort. Qais Alshabebi made 18 points and 16 rebounds while Jamelle Hagins added 14 and 11.
Shabab Al Ahli will go home as the fourth-placers of this WASL season, marking the second time in a row that no team from WASL-Gulf League secured a medal in the pan-regional competition's culminating event.
"We were fighting," offered head coach Miodrag Perisic, whose team kept their chins up as they remained proud of how their 2024/2025 WASL season turned out in general. "I'm proud of them. They never gave up."
FIBA