Greek Basket League round-up(week 21)

Week 21 of the Greek Basket League, with 8 exciting games, all reviewed below

Panelefsiniakos- Apollon Patras 66-73 e.t. (61-61)

Great Apollon win in overtime after an exciting match and climb 6^th in the Table. Strong start for the home side who started the game more concentrated and got a 23-13 lead after 10’, but soon Apollon recovered, tightened up his defense and he equalized the score right at the ned of the half, 35-35.

The away side had the momentum at the start of the second half, but Panelefsiniakos hold on to the lead throughout the 3^rd quarter. They also managed to take a good 5-point difference 51-46. They kept building on to their lead and they were leading by 10, two minutes before the buzzer. However Apollon found the strength and the good shots, that led the game to overtime. From then on, the home team could not react and finally lost the game, and a great chance to escape the last positions of the Greek League. Daniel scored 20 points for the winners and was crowned MVP.

Panionios- Ikaros Chalkidas 89-54

Panionios met no difficulties against Ikaros and got an easy win, recovering after 3 straight defeats. An emphatic start for the home team that secured the win right from the start, 23-7 was the score of the first period. Ikaros could not return to the game since they could not find a way to stop their opponent’s offensive flow. The half ended with Panionios leading 43-23.

The visitors did not try to turn the tables at the beginning of the second half and Panionios even extended their lead to 67-35. The last period was quite pointless since Ikaros had totally given up. MVP of the game was McCollum with 15 points.

A.O.Trikala- A.G.O.Rethimno 75-63

Trikala scored a decisive win and made a huge step towards avoiding relegation. Most important part of the game was its beginning since the home team got in the game strong, found their way to the basket and after 10’ they were in front 26-14. AGOR’s reaction was not the one expected since they did not bounce back and the half time found them trailing 40-28.

At the beginning of the 3^rd quarter, Trikala focused on their defense and despite their bad shooting decisions they held on to their lead, 57-45. Rethimno never got any closer and Trikala put the game in bed before the 35^th minute. MVP was Evans with 25 points.

K.A.O.Dramas- PAOK 90-85 e.t. (74-74)

After a very entertaining game and an extra time, KAOD emerged victorious against PAOK who lost ground to the fight for the 3^rd place. After a balanced first half, KAOD were in front 22-18. KAOD built on to that small lead and with good defense and good rebounding totals they left PAOK behind by 7, 42-35 at half time.

PAOK managed to stay close to KAOD after the pressure the home team applied right from the start of the 3^rd period. They even cut the lead to 61-58 after 30’. Home team tried to secure the game by getting a quick 71-62 lead but PAOK reacted well and led the game to overtime. In an open, high-paced game in extra time, the Dramians dominated and got to the win, with Brown scoring the winning basket 5 seconds before the buzzer. Brown was also MVP of the game with 24 points.

A.E.Neas Kifissias- Kolossos Rhodes 80-74

AENK once again took advantage of their strong home court and overcame the Kolossos obstacle. Both teams were quite anxious at the beginning and AENK got a small lead 21-19. From then on, the home team played better defense and had great offensive flow, getting a plus 9 lead, 47-38 with Garret leading the way.

The game did not change at all at the second half, since AENK mostly tried to hold on to their lead. Kolossos could not find good offensive choices and easy points, so they could not close the gap. 63-54 was the score after 30’ of game. During the last minutes, a desperate attempt from the Rhodians to have a shot at the win took place, but they did not achieve it. Psathas was the MVP with 14 points, 6 rebs and 5 steals.

Aris- Olympiacos 59-64

Aris was not an easy opponent, but the Reds, despite not having Spanoulis and Printezis on the bench, escaped Nick Gallis Hall with the win. The home team dominated the game early on, playing good defense and got in front 18-17 after 10’. Olympiacos tried to react but Aris took advantage of their opponent’s fatigue did not allow them to recover, extending their lead to 4 points, (40-36) at halftime.

The visitor’s deficit behind the arc and their bad shooting totals allowed Aris to stay in control of the match after the break, but they could not extend their lead even more. The score at the end of the 3^rd period was 52-48. From then on, Aris ran out of fuel but they did their best to hold on to their hard-earned lead. Dunston stepped up, dominated the paint and gave the European Champions a difficult win that kept them on top of the Basket League Table. MVP was the American Center who scored 17 points.

Panathinaikos- Ilissiakos 83-77

Difficult win for Panathinaikos who was in charge of the game but could not secure the win throughout the game. Ilissiakos did their best against a way better team, doing anything possible to avoid relegation.