Greek Basket League round-up (week 14)

First week of the second round for the Greek League, with the rival game between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos standing out. Full review of all the games below:

A.E.N.Kifissia- A.O. Trikala 97-85

Opening game of the weekend between two very athletic teams, emerged AENK victorious, giving them the chance to climb 6^th in the League Table, at only their first season in Basket League. Coach Papatheodorou’s team managed to set their pace from early on, scoring 29 points during the first quarter (29-15). Trikala improved their defense but not their offense, giving their opponents the chance to maintain a safe lead 49-31 by half time.

But the visitors did not give up, played outstanding defense, scored some easy fast-break points, and closed the gap to 8 points (69-61) after 30 minutes of basketball. However, Kifissia did not lose their concentration, remained focus to their game plan and finally got a relativey easy win against Trikala. Tony Crocker was the MVP of the game with 20 points, while Evans had 18 points for Trikala.

Ilissiakos- Apollon Patras 67-76

Great win for Apollon who sunk Ilissiakos to the bottom of the League Table. Apollon surprised their opponents with their fast pace and their great ball movement, taking a clean lead 19-29 at the end of the 1^st period. Ilissiakos balanced the game, played zone defense and controlled the rebounds, closing the gap and by the end of the half they were trailing 37-41.

The home team tried to overtake Apollon but they missed some important shots, giving the team from Patra an opportunity to maintain a small lead 54-57. During the 4^th quarter, Ilissiakos did not achieve to reduce the lead even further, since their opponents scored some crucial three-pointers, securing an important win. Balds scored 15 points, collected 7 rebs, had 5 assists and 5 steals while Anderson had 24 points for Ilissiakos.

Aris- K.A.O.Dramas 77-59

Coach Minic’s debut came along with a big win for the home side against team in form KAOD. Aris players were very anxious at the beginning, allowing the visitors to take control of the game and close the 1^st quarter leading 14-18. From then on Aris defended very well, worked hard on transition game, made the correct choices offensively and as a result they got a 9-point lead (35-26) before the break.

KAOD risked a lot trying to pick up the pace, but Aris was well prepared, forced the team from Drama to commit many turnovers and secured the win early on, since after 3 quarters, the score was 58-38. Aris’ defensive crescendo continued, giving KAOD no chance to return to the game. MVP was Pelekanos who scored 13 points. With this win, Aris escapes the relegation zone, and at the same time, gets in play-off position.

Ikaros Chalkidas- A.G.O.Rethimno 89-78

Big win for Ikaros who escaped the last position in the League Table. They had a great start and got an early lead 29-19 after 10 minutes. AGOR tried to tighten up their defense but Ikaros found solutions and finally the gap remained to ten by the end of the 2^nd quarter, 49-39.

Again after the break AGOR managed to reduce the lead, but Ikaros quickly recovered because of his discipline and the 3^rd quarter came to a close 64-55. This time AGOR was out of energy, did not defend tight, received 25 points and as a result Ikaros walked away with an important win. Asca had 15 with 8 rebs for Ikaros, while for AGOR Wright had a game-high of 31 points.

Kolossos Rhodes- PAOK 62-49

Kolossos managed to overcome the obstacle of PAOK, who was very tired and not in good shape. The first quarter of the game was not good, with both teams trying to find their way through their opponent’s paint. Many missed shots and tight defenses led to a small score 12-13. Same game during the second quarter, with PAOK being unable to score but they defended well. So the final score for the quarter was 29-30.

The 3^rd quarter was a disaster for PAOK who scored only 8 points, but also received 19, and the point difference skied to 10 after 30 minutes of basketball (48-38). The away team did not manage to return to the game, despite their good offensive flow, since Kolossos hit some important shots and ensured the win. MVP of the game was Papantoniou who scored 15.

Panionios-Panelefsiniakos 92-70

Panionios dominated their opponents and started strong at the second round of the Greek Basket League. The home team was superior from early in the game and took the lead 16-12 by the end of the quarter. Panelefsiniakos tried to stay close to the score but Panionios with McCollum leading, raised the difference to double digits (40-30) by the end of the half.

Starting the 3^rd quarter, coach Sfairopoulos’ team achieved to seal the deal since they scored at will, defended hard and brought the difference to 17, 67-50. Panelefsiniakos then ran out of energy and the last 10 minutes was a display of power for the home team. Final score indicates the gap between the two teams. Eric McCollum had 18 for Panionios and crowned  as MVP of the game.

Panathinaikos- Olympiacos 58-48

In a very tight game with low score and many tactical changes for both teams, Panathinaikos emerged victorious. The game was slow-paced right from the start, with Panathinaikos hitting some crucial shots and finally taking a small lead 17-12. However the Reds brought the game in balance, defended very well, forced the home team to make bad offensive choices, and the half time score was 27-25.

The home team had the upper hand from the first moment of the second half, but Olympiacos tried not to lose their opponents. They defended well but Panathinaikos found the way to score and finally got a 4-point lead, 41-37. The low score game was ideal for Panathianaikos, but coach Pedoulakis decided to ask his team to quicken up the pace, caught Olympiacos off-guard and ended the game since the European Champions could not follow. MVP of the game was Gist who scored 10 points but contributed in every aspect of the game. Spanoulis was not in a good shape for the defeated side.