Muslim Basketball

Interestingly, after opening the season with a great win, Al-Bireh continues to trend lower while the team they beat trends up. The losses have come against good teams but at some point, we need to see the ceiling version of this team if they want to be high up the rankings. Adeeb and Khalid rightfully led the way in scoring but Amir and Kevin can afford to be more aggressive.

Good win for Al-Bireh, winning a physical game without multiple starters against two of the best players in the league. Towfeek worked his matchup well in isolation and Khalid fought his way to the line. Jenin worked hard to get their baskets, so the defensive plan was effective as well. Strong game across the board.

Great bounce back game for Adeeb with 24 including 6-13 from 3 but it wasn’t enough as Al-Bireh fell short in a close game. Can’t drop them too low for losing to a top team without Shafic but the same spacing issues hold them back in these big games. Their one win of the season came when they only had to attempt 14 threes.

The lack of 3 point shooting was glaring, even with Zain occupied in the paint by another impressive Khalid performance. Adeeb was 1-7 and Shafic 2-8 from 3, although Shafic did his best to keep them in it. They’ll look to bounce back but they have some tough games coming up.

Al-Bireh earned the win behind strong scoring from Khalid Itani (18 points) and Adeeb Yousef, who added 17 on efficient shooting while going a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. The team shot 42% overall and found enough offensive balance to offset some missed free throws and limited ball movement. With 20 made field goals and steady contributions from Kevin George inside, Al-Bireh maintained control throughout the matchup.