16 Mar.2017– Injured Byblos travel to Dik El Mehdi to take on Champville as they hope to put past defeats behind them.
Champville have had a spark of life in recent weeks, starting with the great victory against Sagesse and the team has been on the right track since. Add to that the addition of Daniel Fares, the wolf pack seems to be going on a hunt.
Their major player has been Darien Townes. Yes, he is not their best scorer, but he is the most influential one on court. His defensive presence and offensive dominance make him the core of this team. With Byblos recently acquiring Ali Traore, a huge fight is going to happen down low. Ali has previously shown (2014) he can play the post with some good footwork and a mid-range shot that could be annoying to most big defenders as he can also fake and drive the lane. With Bassel Bawji having his hands full with Ali Kanaan, help might not come for either Traore or Townes, it a mano e mano!
As for the guards, Byblos are relying on Jay Youngblood to fill the score sheet. He will probably face Ali Farhat that has previously shown he can guard class A players with the likes of Terell Stoglin, time and time again. Ali can get to your head with his sticky defense and will to stop you, Jay better stay calm. As for Clay Tucker, he is playing on borrowed time, with the release of Ebi, his release is getting closer. Brandon Thomas has an easy task today, just don’t let Clay free at the 3point line. Thomas has elevated his game recently as we still didn’t witness Cummings on the court. Is coach Ghassan thinking about mixing it up today? Don’t ruin the rhythm guss.
Champville will certainly focus on taking down Rodrigue Akl. Stopping him will cause partial paralysis for the Jbeili team. Cutting him apart from Jay would diminish both their influence on court. Same goes for Ali Mahmoud, who seems to be getting back in shape. As for Byblos, they have to keep Patrick Rembert at bay. His contribution to the game is huge. He can score, shoot from long range, drive the lane and even find his teammates. Stop him and you would put Champville in a sticky situation.
Both teams are fighting to get the win, this should be one interesting game.
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