FROM Mr. PGBL’s Corner

Kings 71 vs. Arseniko 46

The Kings look like they have woken up. Playing much better of late, I toyed with the possibility of moving them up to 2nd in the Power Rankings, but put that on hold for now. The Kings improved play is can be attributed to the improved play of Bill Zonios(25pts), who shot the lights out tonight, hitting 7 three pointers. 4 in a row to start the second half as that began what was I believe a 25-1 run. Foti Giannopoulos’ 17 points were accompanied with some nice assists and great defense, including some momentum stopping blocks. Also for the Kings Laz Kalemis had his season high 14 points and did an excellent job finishing down low. Kalemis was being set up very nicely by Chris Kourelias, who quietly, accumulated well over 10 assists.

Arseniko was short handed. The Kings only had 6 players as well but Arseniko was missing more than one starter. Stef Grigorakakis was the man on the court tonight, leading his team with 21 points. Grigorakakis led his team to an early lead with his offense and vocal leadership. Chris Voutsakis was the only other player in double digits with 11 points which means Arseniko needed more offense. Without Alexi Topalidis and/or Lou Karapanagiotides, Grigorakakis was left alone to do the shooting and creating. Arseniko’s next game is against the Grizz.

Game ball goes to Bill Zonios

Revolution 68 vs. Mavs 52

The Revolution may be the most aggressive team in the league. A team that will go for the throat at the first sign of weakness. The Revolution have that killer instinct championship teams need to get over the top. Led today by Pete Kada with 21 points, Kada has been consistent with point scoring as he always has been. His stamina and relentless attacking leads to a high PPG average every season. Kosta Pavlidis is the anchor of this team’s aggressiveness. With 18 points tonight, Pavlidis did it from outside and in. His speed is deceivingly fast and outside jumpshot deadly. Rev gear up for the Warriors after a short break week.

The Mavs are not getting all their players to the games on a regular basis and I think it may be hurting them. They did hold their own though tonight against the leagues best team, led by Dimitri Poulimenos’ 27 points and Dino Thomazos’ 14. The Mavs need to do a better job with hustle and defense. If they can get all their players there, and get every body on the same page to hustle, get back on defense and stay positive with each other, they can win. But until that happens, the losses will pile up in my opinion. The Mavs can make the playoffs, but they need to turn it around right away before it gets too late.

Game ball goes to Pete Kada

Spurs 63 vs. Warriors 62

Wow what a game. One of the best games of the year. The Spurs started out very slow, trailing in the first half by at least 15 points, they slowly chipped away at the lead. Sparking the comeback was big man Niko Pappas who had 13 of his 19 points in the first half. Pappas didn’t just do it on offense, he had a handful of monster blocks too. Vas Rousseas scored 16 points including 4 three pointers. This was Rousseas’ 3rd game in a row with 4 or more three pointers and it looks like his confidence is improving. The man who stole the show tonight was Kosta Nikolos. Nikolos scored 24 points from all over the court. He can score from 3 or 30 feet away. With just seconds left, the Spurs trailing by 1, Nikolos got the ball in the post and did one of his patented spin moves which led to the game winning baby hook shot. Great comeback win for these guys.

Note: Vas Rousseas needs only 21 more points to get to the 1,000 career point mark. Not too far behind is Kosta Nikolos, who needs 51 points. They would be just the 6th and 7th players to reach that mark. And may be the only players left to reach that mark, this season.

George Vlahos looked poised and very light on his feet in this game. Vlahos started out great, scoring 16 points in the first 10 minutes and building a comfortable first half cushion. Vlahos ended with 36 points but without Aris Haritonidis, the Warriors were searching for more offense. Nick Karalis had 10 points but with him being the only other scorer in double digits the Warriors struggled. 2 straight last nail biting losses for the Warriors could easily make them lose confidence but it’s important that they don’t. First goal should be get into the playoffs, after that, the Champs can make their own destiny.

Game ball goes to Kosta Nikolos