07 Jan.2017- Louaize host Byblos on Saturday afternoon in a game that promises a lot of suspense.
Both teams share the second seed with a 5-2 record, so a win today would leave one team ahead of the other.
Geron Johnson and co have made great use of their speed to break the opposition’s defense. A thing we witnessed very well against Sagesse. A matchup between Jay and Geron would be a one to watch. Both fast, athletic, explosive and physically present, these 2 scorers will fight for supremacy.
Under the rim, a battle between Ndudi Ebi and Wendell Lewis is going down. Ebi is a mobile center that can take the ball outside to take his shot or to slash through the lane and finish at the rim. Lewis will be asked to move a lot and thus leaving space down low for the opposition to use. Ali Kanaan and JoeAbi Kheres must make the best out of it with Travis Mckie helping if any player penetrates the zone, to score valuable points. Louaize play a kind of matchup zone that allows players to switch every time they need to. This will hurt Clay Tucker a lot as he has shown that he is a spot up shooter with little or no movement on the court. Stagnancy will kill you against this kind of defense.
As for Byblos, they need Rodrigue Akl at his best. Keep everybody involved, keep the ball moving to spread the defense as much as possible and keep looking for the weak side for any open player. He will face tough competition from Ribal Bchara and Rabih Deeb, both players coming fresh off the bench and always giving 110%. They are great defenders with the appropriate speed to annoy any player.
Offensively, Louaize may count on Elie Stephan who has been playing great basketball lately. Those dagger threes spread the defense well for Geron to cut and take his man one on one. If Geron finds himself stuck in a double team he can dish the ball outside for Elie to take his shot. On the other hand, Byblos need Tarek Ammoury to contribute offensively to help take pressure off Jay and Tucker.
Not to forget about Miguel Martinez who might be playing his best season so far. He is the one that allows Johnson to roam so freely on the court. He can initiate the fast break and push on every play. His ball handling and vision make him as dangerous as any player because he gets the best out of his teammates.
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