Mombasa vs Beirut

Last time these two teams matched up, Mombasa tried to start in a zone which did not work out well. Jojo was huge, going 7-11 from three, but even if he hits a few less this time, others like Shafic and Amir Hassan won’t miss as much either. Clearly, Beirut is too good against the type of zones played at this level. Allowing Beirut to get good clean shots up and play with the lead is one of the ways Mombasa can lose this game. When Mombasa plays man, the key matchup will be whoever is guarding Towfeek. If they require too much help, that will open up the floor for everyone else.

On paper, there hasn’t been a great formula to stopping Mombasa this season. Will can get to threatening spots in the paint and all the guards are triple threats on the perimeter. Jerusalem held to them to their lowest this season so Beirut can try and replicate that. They made things difficult in the paint, preferring to foul rather than give easy buckets and they cleaned the glass to limit extra opportunities. Khalid can make a huge impact as he’s probably the best big they’ve faced during this playoff run. Beirut’s defense has been very impressive and being locked in shouldn’t be a problem in the championship game.

Mombasa will be favored given how close the last game was between these two without Dean playing. However, as discussed above, Beirut has enough in their bag to win if they execute well. Should be a good game but Beirut needs a lot to go right.

Mombasa by 2