Last year’s runners-up Zob Ahan remained in the reckoning for the Iranian Super League title with back-to-back wins in Games 3 and 4 to level the 2011 Finals against twice defending champions Mahram. Zob won 89-76 on Friday to reduce the margin and staved off Mahram’s stiff challenge a day later for a 73-71 win, which leveled the series.
Mahram had won 101-76 in Game 1 on Monday and 95-92 in Game 2 the following day. Mahram will host the Game 5 of the best-of-five Finals on Monday. Carlos Powell was the leader of Zob’s resurgence. On Saturday, the American poured in a game-high 28 points as Zob fought back from 37-42 at the half-time to take charge of the proceedings early in the second half.
Hamed Afagh, who will don Mahram colors in the 22nd FIBA Asia Champions Cup and Ousmane Barro had a dozen points each, the latter also pulling down 10 rebounds.Barro’s fellow Senegalese Cheikh Samb’s 26 points led Mahram with Samad Nikkhah Bahrami playing his second full game on the trot accounting for 19 points.
On Friday, Bahrami, playing his first full game in almost a year had led the game in scoring with 28 points as Mahram staged a remarkable rally from being 30 points down in the first half. But Powell’s 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals helped Zob stave off that Mahram rally and post their first win in the Finals. Chris Monroe had 15 points and Oshin Sahakian missed a double double by 3 rebounds scoring 11 points.
Kamrani, who was shut out for a mere 9 points on Saturday, had dazzled a day earlier with a superb 7/10 on the field for his 21 points. Samb had collected the only double double for the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The play-offs series for the third place – between Petro Chimi and Towzin Electric – is also tied 2-2 with Game 5 scheduled at the former’s home court in Mah Shahr on Monday.