Home Domestic Leagues Greek Basket League round-up (week 4)

Greek Basket League round-up (week 4)

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos got the win on the road while PAOK got a relatively  easy win at home against Koroivos. Read full review of the weekend below:

Kolossos Rhodes- Panelefsiniakos 83-68

Very important win for Kolossos at home against Panelefsiniakos who started well in the game, trying to be in front but after 10  minutes the Rhodians had a small 21-20 lead. The same tight game continued throughout the second quarter, where the two teams mostly focused on defense. The break found the two teams sharing impressions and points (38-38)

Nothing changed at the 3rd period with Kolossos struggling to get in front but their inability to control the rebounds, resulted in Panelefsiniakos taking the slight lead 61-62. However the key point of the game was the start of the 4th quarter when the home team ran a 20-0 partial score, storming past their opponents and reaching the win. Tsamis scored 25 for the winners and Murray had 12 for the visitors.

Panionios- A.G.O.Rethimno 75-65

It was clear that Panionios needed an experienced coach to lead them through this difficult season, found in the person of Vaggelis Alexandris. His team was way improved since last game, but that was not enough for them to beat Rethimno, who are aiming for a top-half finish in the League. Panionios started the game pretty well, gaining control of the game, despite their mediocre shots choices (14-17). But as long as the guest team kept missing open shots, it was a matter of time for things to turn around. Korolev tried to keep his team close to the score but AGOR ended the half leading 32-31.

Usually around that time Panionios was blown away by their opponents but this time their resistance was bigger, mostly due to the fact that Korolev and Woods were providing easy points that kept them close to the score, 52-49, after 30’. Rethimno needed a good run to draw some distance, and they achieved it 6 minutes before the end, giving them a 9-point lead. Panionios tried to recover but the home fans and the experience of the Cretans allowed them to take the win against the “Red and Blue”. The “Flying Dutchman” Schaftenaar led AGOR’s scoring with 25 points with Korolev having 14 for the guests.

K.A.O.Dramas- Aris 70-74

Third consecutive defeat for KAOD and second at home against Aris. The visitors started the game determined to control it, emphasizing on defense. They allowed KAOD only 10 points (10-14), forcing them to lose their composition. The same pace continued at the 2nd quarter with Aris achieving a 15-25 lead, but the successful substitutions made by coach Mexas helped his team to recover and close the half trailing by 3, 31-34.

Aris had the momentum of the game and that was clear during the 3rd quarter where they were in front mostly with double digits and ending it in front 46-58. KAOD did not give up, fought hard throughout the closing quarter and cut the lead to 2 points but a jumper from Vezenkov was enough for his team to escape with the two precious points. Adegboye raised many eyebrows with his performance (17p, 3/3 2p., 2/3 3p), while Zaras scored an impressive 26 points but that was not enough for his team.

A.E.N.Kifissias- Apollon Patras 63-54

An easier win than what the final score indicates for AENK who took advantage of their home ground and got in front from early on following a 5-0 run. The first 10 minutes concluded with the home side in front 22-17 and the second quarter appeared to be even better for them since they defended extremely well, stealing balls and scoring easy points on fast break. Half time score was 41-27.

Apollon gave no real signs of recovery after the break, tried to cut the lead but with Kakiouzis in great shape, the difference remained to double digits. At the 28th minute of the game, and the score 51-39, Apollon performed three consecutive good defensive plays but missed an all 3 open shots behind the arc, wasting a great chance for a comeback. After that, the visitors looked disappointed and never managed to threat AENK until the end. Kakiouzis performed a double-double (12p.,13 rebs, 5 steals), and for the defeated side El Amin had 21p.

P.A.O.K.- Koroivos Amaliadas 84-71

Koroivos only had control for the first 3 minutes but after that, PAOK showed their real selves, controlled the game and took an easy win, and the same time giving some resting time to their players. The half concluded with the home side leading 46-32.

Koroivos tried to stay close but it was Tsochlas whose offensive performance allowed PAOK to stay in front and in a safe distance. The Greek guard led his team by scoring 17 points and for the visitors Lowry had 18.

A.O.Trikalon- Panathinaikos 70-96

Offense is obviously the strong part of this Panathinaikos roster, which managed to beat Trikala despite the existing fatigue from the game versus Fenerbache. The Greek Champions had a very good start at the game, took total control and got a safe lead 18-27. Trikala reacted well, had a 13-0 run and came closer to Panathinaikos. The half time ended with the “Greens” enjoying a 6 point 42-48 lead.

After the break, both teams tried to revise their way of play and improve their weaknesses but it was Panathinaikos who quickly tightened up their defense, found the offensive flow they were looking for in the first half and 10 minutes before the end, they were in charge 60-72. The home team did their best but it was clear that the Trikala players could not follow their opponents who controlled the pace until the buzzer. Diamantidis had 18 points with 5 3pts made, and on the other side Panos scored 14.

A.E.K.- Olympiacos 62-81

Spanoulis scored 22 points and contributed his best to the team’s win against old rivals AEK who faced many scoring difficulties. The enthusiasm of the AEK players lasted for one period when Olympiacos started numb (15-14) but they soon recovered as well as their captain, skyrocketing the difference to 14 (30-44), following the quick pace and good open shots.

Coach Giannis Sfairopoulos on his first game as Olympiacos coach, instructed his players to return to the court trying to protect their lead and frustrate AEK players who faced a tight and composed defense. After 30 minutes, the home team was trailing 52-65. The experienced visitor’s roster was the key factor to the win they achieved, not allowing AEK to quickly cut the lead and have a shot to the win.

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