Riyadi play Orthodoxi as Hurrieh top Basketball League

AMMAN — The final week of the Premier Basketball League preliminary round is set to conclude over the weekend as the weather forecast forced the postponement of matches.

The top four teams have been decided but the final week will determine the standings, as teams get into the mood of the serious fight for the title.  

In the current round Hurrieh lead the standings with an unbeaten record so far and the most anticipated match will be Riyadi vs Orthodoxi in their quest for second place. With teams like Applied Science University, Ittihad and Wihdat pulling out of the competition, Jalil have joined the top four.

Last week, Riyadi scored a big win 102-66 over Ghazzet Hashem. Riyadi’s only defeat was to Hurrieh, as was Orthodoxi’s, who last beat Jalil 56-39. Hurrieh beat Nashama 60-45 and next play Jalil while Awdeh who beat Kufr Youba 78-71 play Nashama. 

Orthodoxi won their record 23rd league title last year and started off the season by winning the Jordan Cup, beating closest rivals Riyadi in the final minutes of the match.

Apart from Orthodoxi and Riyadi, the basketball league has undergone many changes with the leading clubs abandoning the game. Former champs Applied Science University and Ittihad have pulled out of competitions over differences with the Jordan Basketball Federation and players have been dispersed over the rest of clubs. New clubs with no fan base are competing, in what is seen as a sharp decline in the game locally as well as Jordan’s regional competitive chances.

Standings