P.A.O.K.- Olympiacos 99-104 e.t. (87-87)
This week kept us the best for last as PAOK faced Olympiacos and despite their poor shape until now, they proved to be quite a threat for the Greek giants. Defensively they could not contain the Reds after the tip-off, they were anxious on offense missing a couple of open shots and 15-22 was the score at the end of the period. The home side switched their defense to zone marking and Olympiacos could not get the ball inside as they did, locked down Spanoulis and managed to get the lead 43-42 by halftime.
The visitors kept struggling and PAOK was clearly in control taking small leads until the 34th minute when they ended an 11-2 run which got them in front 78-69. Olympiacos knew time was running low and it was time for Spanoulis to step up, they played quick basketball with a short line-up since Printezis played as center. A quick 10-0 run brought the two teams close and until the end, they exchanged the lead. PAOK was in front by two points but they did not foul Hackett who scored with a lay-up to send the game to o.t.
The extra 5 minutes started with a 4-0 Olympiacos run that eventually put them on driver’s seat only to maintain this lead until the end. MVP was Hackett with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while for PAOK who remains on the bottom of the League with no wins thus far, Kakaroudas added 18 points.
Other results:
Trikala B.C. A.E.Neas Kifissias 73-76
Explosive start for the visiting side as they ended the first quarter in front 13-20. Since then they took care of bussiness on offense, scoring constantly to hold their opponents behind them. Best performance of the night belonged to Soko Ovie from Trikala who had 21 points but MVP was Mavroides with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Lavrio G.S.- Aris 68-76
Aris was the favourite of the game but they started too numb allowing Lavrio to take control but they slowly reduced the lead, finally playing a great closing quarter (11-20 partial score) and overtook the home team to get the win. McNeal had an excellent game with 18 points, 6 rebounds and also 4 assists.
Arkadikos- A.G.O.Rethimno 75-70
Great win at home for the newcomers Arkadikos who fought in a close game against Rethimno and finally got a crucial win both for the League Table but it as also important for the psychology and chemistry of the roster. MVP was Brown with 18 points and for the Cretans Harrow had 15 points 4 rebounds and 6 dishes.
Kavala B.C.- Apollon Patras 72-91
With such an offensive performance on the road, it is almost impossible not to get the win and the team from Patra did exactly what they had to do, taking advantage of a soft defence to take a significant lead from the start (15-24). They had solutions for every defensive problem Kavala placed along the way and finally reached their first win of the season. Tony Maier was outstanding with 18 points (5/5 2pointers and 2/3 behind the arc), and on the defeated side, Kemp and Vargas both had 17.
Koroivos Amaliadas- A.E.K. 67-76
Good win on the road for ‘Dikefalos’ who despite having a bad start (24-12), soon recovered and after a big 3 period (8-21) got back in the game, also gaining the momentum of the match. Loukas Mavrokefalides shined once again with 28 points and 6 rebounds and for Koroivos Davis had 24 points.
Panathinaikos- Kolossos Rhodes 107-66
Panathinaikos just did what everyone expected, dominated Kolossos and remained undefeated. The margin could have been smaller but the visitors gave up on the game after 30′, but even until then, the ‘Greens’ were in total control of the match. Feldeine keeps impressing with his appearences, this time with 16 points and 6 assists in a game that most of the players were used and were given chances to prove themselves. On the other side, McGee was the only player for the Rhodians with double-digit points (13).
