Iran's Mahram wins West Asian b-ball crown

The Iranian basketball club Mahram has claimed the title of the 2012 West Asian Basketball League after defeating Lebanon’s Al-Riyadi in the deciding match of the final series. Mahram downed the Beirut-based team 96-86 (31-13, 19-21, 30-34, 16-18) at the full-packed Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran on Monday. The best-of-five series was tied 2-2 and the two sides went head to head in the last showdown. Mahram made a stormy start and opened up a 15-point lead midway through the first quarter. Mahram never allowed Al-Riyadi to get closer than 10 points in the other three quarters to wrap up the game 96-86 to secure its third West Asian title in four years. Samad Nikkhah Bahrami was on top of the score sheet with 28 points and Mahram’s Senegalese former NBA player Pape Sow had 11 rebounds and four assists. The 2012 West Asian Basketball League was the second season of the modern era of the West Asian Basketball League. The West Asian Basketball League, known as the WABA Champions Cup between 1998 and 2010, is the West Asian club championship, organized by the West Asia Basketball Association every year. The competition also serves as a qualifying tournament for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.