Dear Respected Brothers,

Assalamu-ai-laikum!

By the Grace of Allah, we have completed the second official season game for AOBL last Saturday, November 2, 2013! As per usual, both games provided a thrill with one being a comeback victory in the second half. If you have any suggestions or comments that will help to improve AOBL, please share those with myself and Qaid Sahib and we will make changes to accommodate our fellow brothers. 

The statistics and standings can be seen on www.leaguelineup.com/AOBL

To see individual statistics, go to "Standings" on the left hand side and then select "Statistics Leaders" beside "Category" (located above the wins/losses)

The following are game highlights and individual statistics for both games:

Amanat snatches victory from Rafaqat! 

Amanat [50] - Rafaqat [43]

The first game between Rafaqat and Amanat was a rematch of the last preseason game held this season. Rafaqat had won the first game and it was up to Amanat to seek out and show they were capable of taking on the defending champions. The early lead came to Rafaqat with some fast points and devastating low-post moves from Qaid Sahib - Awais Mehmood. It seemed as though Rafaqat  had the game under wraps in the first half until fatigue kicked in and Amanat began to slowly pick away at Rafaqat's lead. The strong lineup of Amanat, consisting of - Muneer Khan, Saib Ahmad, and Naeem Chaudhary proved a deadly combination of offensive and defensive prowess. All three players scored 14 points or more and had a well balanced offence with each player packing on 3 or more assists. Tanzeel Qureshi provided much-needed offence for Amanat, going 3/5 and consistently showing he is an offensive threat that cannot be left unguarded. The end of the game was close with Amanat in a close lead while Faizan Khan and Emad "LockdownD" Ryan of Rafaqat continued to remain resilient on the defensive end of the floor and not showing signs of letting their man score. Despite a comeback attempt with some late buckets from Fawad Khan of Rafaqat , the attempt was short-lived when Naeem Chaudhary of Amanat sealed the deal with a pair of baskets down the stretch. Amanat is in the lead [2-0] in the AOBL Conference and maintains their standing as team with the best chemistry in the league. On the other hand, Rafaqat is last in the conference [0-2] and will need to get more players involved in the offence and work on building stamina if they wish to remain a challenger to the remaining teams.

Date: November 3, 2013     Time: 12:00am      Venue: School Property

Shujaat wins over Sadaqat and takes convincing victory!

Sadaqat [40] - Shujaat [57]

The matchup between Sadaqat and Shujaat was one to watch with a couple individuals putting on a show. It was a close game at the start but Shujaat slowly built a lead and never looked backed. Both young Khuddam - Raheel "Skyhook" Ahmed of Sadaqat and Taha Ahmad of Shujaat played excellent games scoring 8 points each and both contributed to their team's offence and defence with some crucial assists and rebounds. Sadaqat welcomed brother - Ammar Bhatti - who was from outside the community but joined team Sadaqat to take the place of a few essential players on the team. He provided a much needed offensive boost with 24 points but it was not enough as Sadaqat was really never able to get back into the game. Hasan Khan and Valeed "PostUp" Malik of Sadaqat contributed with 4 points each but were unable to get into any valuable rhythm to help Sadaqat take a leap back into the game. Irfan Cheema of Shujaat had a stellar all-around game with a season high 39 points and showed his well-roundedness with 7 steals, 5 blocks, 6 assists and 16 rebounds - MashAllah! Despite Shakeel "Mamba" Nazir's shooting woes, he provided Shujaat with fearless attacking while Bilal Ahmad also chipped in with a pair of assists for Shujaat. Shujaat and Sadaqat are both are tied at [1-1] in the AOBL conference and may possibly be a matchup to watch with the increased likelihood of them meeting each other in the first round of the playoffs. Both teams were missing players so it will be interesting to see how these teams fare with their full squad on the court.

Date: November 3, 2013     Time: 12:00am      Venue: School Property

May Allah continue to shower His blessings on this league and allow for brotherhood, friendship, and true peaceful comadarie to spread among our fellow brothers - Ameen!

Wassalam,

Fawad