ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Tabiat once again withstood Sagesse SC in a thrilling encounter, 79-73, to complete the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) 2025 Final picture, Saturday night at the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
A bucket inside by Ivan Buva and a split by Stedmon Lemon were enough for the Iran Basketball League outfit to escape after nearly losing a 13-point lead inside the game's final 1:34 due to the home team's hot shooting.
Thus, the relief of each and everyone on the team when the final buzzer sounded as they managed to hack out the victory - and forge a championship showdown against Al Riyadi barely 24 hours from now.
The two protagonists of the upcoming Sunday night special are also bound for the prestigious Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) on June 9-15 as they punched the two tickets coming from WASL.
"We're happy. It's a pleasure for our club and the team - our staff, my colleagues, and the players - to go to the BCL Asia and also in the Final of the Final 8," offered Tabiat head coach Mehran Shahintab.
Sina Vahedi led the way with a game-high 31 points, including 18 in the second half as he helped his side remain stable during the fourth quarter amidst the opposition's fightback from as much as 18 down.
The young floor general took charge after Sagesse knocked within five, 61-56, with 7:29 to spare, scoring seven to lead a 14-5 run to extend their lead to 76-63 with less than three minutes remaining.
Then came the Green Castle's last-ditch effort behind Omar Jamaleddine and Aziz Abdel Massih, both of which clicked from deep and resuscitated their hopes of beating a team that swept them in the last WASL-West Asia.
But then, Buva and Lemon were there to keep their foes at arm's length, and missed threes by Jad Khalil and Jamaleddine in the closing seconds ultimately enabled Tabiat to come away with the W.
Lemon finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a turnover-less showing, while the towering Buva notched yet another double-double performance with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
"I'm so happy about this win," expressed Vahedi, who hit a quintet of triples and finished with a 52.4-percent field-goal shooting clip. "We're going to the Final. We have 24 hours to recover for the game against Al Riyadi."
Jamaleddine led Sagesse with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss that denied the club a return trip to the WASL Final - and an opportunity as well to bounce back after settling for a runner-up finish last year.
Cady Lalanne supplied 18 points and 8 rebounds. Johnny O'Bryant made 11 points and 10 rebounds while Gerard Hadidian added 10 points for the long-time Lebanese Basketball Championship powerhouse.
Sagesse still have a shot at finishing at the podium as they will face Shabab Al Ahli in the Third-Place Game on Sunday, which serves as the opening act to the finale between Al Riyadi and Tabiat.
FIBA
