After an offseason full of drama which included many player moves and the dismantling of the two-time champion Knicks, the sixth season of the PGBL tipped off Thursday night at St. Demetrio’s Church in Upper Darby. The first game featured the defending champion Warriors squaring off against the new look Spurs. After a hard fought battle which came down to the final minute, the Warriors won their third consecutive opener by defeating the Spurs 62-56. Three-time scoring champion George Vlahos led all players with 28 points getting most of his points through penetration and the free throw line where he went 11 for 13. The Spurs led by Kosta Nikolos with 18 points hung in there until the very end until a costly turnover iced the game for the Warriors. Their next game is Sunday night against the Revolution while the Warriors take on the Sixers next Thursday night.
The second game of the night was a rematch of the “Greatest” game in PGBL history from last February in the semi-finals where the Kings took down Arseniko 109-106 in double overtime. This time around it was a defensive battle with the Kings pulling away in the second half and starting off the new season on the right foot with 56-40 win. The Kings had balanced scoring with three players in double figures, but it was their defense which proved to be the difference holding Arseniko to a mere 16 points in the first half. Arseniko was missing a few key players that will contribute greatly to their team’s success as the season progresses. Arseniko has a quick turnaround as they face the Terps on Sunday night. The Kings play next Thursday night against the Grizzlies.
In the third a final game of the night, the new-look Revolution with their glow in the dark bright neon yellow jerseys took on the Mavericks. Two key players Kosta Pavlidis and Pete Kada left the Mavericks in the offseason to join the Revolution. They combined for half of their team’s points in route to a 58-41 win over the Mavericks. The Revolution who this year do not seem to have any issues with getting players to show up had a very deep bench keeping everyone fresh and allowing them to pull away from the Mavericks in the final minutes. It was their first opening night victory since the 2008-2009 season, the year they won the championship. Next up for the Revolution is the Spurs on Sunday night while the Mavericks look to bounce back against the Terps next Thursday night.
Next week Cosmos Philly will be at St. Demetrio’s covering the following games:
Mavericks vs. Terps @ 7 PM
Warriors vs. Sixers @ 8 PM
Kings vs. Grizzlies @ 9 PM
Written by Fotis Giannopoulos