19 December, 2022
23 May, 2023
10/04/2023
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Play-Off Switch On: These men play best with their backs against the wall

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Four teams breathed new life to their respective campaigns by avoiding elimination in the WASL Qualification to Semi-Finals.

And that's big thanks to the men who made sure that their stints in the inaugural regional league won't end unceremoniously via sweep by turning in scintillating performances, making their own clubs beam with so much pride.

So, we take a look back at some of the best outings, both individually and collectively, in the previous week of what has been a thrilling QSF.

MANAMA'S SHOCK TROOPERS

Mohammed Hamooda and Ahmed Haji provided the unlikely spark in Manama's upset of an erstwhile-steamrolling Kazma to take Game 2 last Monday.

Hamooda tied his personal season-high 21 points, including 11 in the second period alone to help his side turn the game in their favor, much to his delight as the 28-year-old forward literally danced in celebration after almost every bucket.

 

The diminutive Haji, on the other hand, scattered a WASL career-high 18 points as he caught fire from beyond the arc on the way to 5 triples.

MUSAB KADI

Al Nasr Riyadh showed that they can pull off an upset against one of the Gulf League's better teams in Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai en route to extending their campaign, and Musab Kadi was among those who helped the club prove as much.

After turning in a WASL personal high in Game 1, the  23-year-old forward came through with another solid showing to the tune of 15 points on 41.2-percent shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the KSA side's 68-67 win.

But his biggest contribution was easily the go-ahead layup of a drive he made with 51.5 seconds left as it enabled Al Nasr to eventually leave with the W.

EDGAR SOSA

Edgar Sosa was once again in his elite scoring ways, tallying 32 points to power Al Naft past ZobAhan in a character-testing 90-82 victory.

 

The veteran guard was a picture of stability most especially in the endgame, scoring his team's last 10 points, which he all collected from the free throw line to help his crew avert a massive collapse that saw them almost lose a 30-point lead.

ORTHODOX AMMAN'S 1-2 PUNCH

Orthodox Amman essentially ran nearly everything through Brandon Peterson and Freddy Ibrahim, and the star tandem didn't disappoint as the Jordanian squad took care of business at home by dragging Al Riyadi to a deciding Game 3, 105-95.

 

Peterson submitted his best showing in WASL to date with a game-high 34 points on 15-of-18 shooting from the field, alongside 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.

Ibrahim, on the other hand, almost had a rare triple-double as he finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists, but making his performance all the more impressive was the way he contributed on defense as he racked up 6 steals,

FIBA