Upper Darby, PA – The St. Demetrios Gym was jumping last night. A full house of fans and hot spanakopita made the recipe that produced an exciting night of basketball. The mid-evening matchup featured the Wolfpack and Danny’s Boys, two contenders with a history. The Pack jumped out to an early lead, but Pete Kathopoulos answered back with thirty-two points leading his team to victory and putting them into a three way tie for first place. In game one, The Revolution made it clear that they are a team to be reckoned with. Starting a player short made no difference as they stomped out the Sixers in their victory. And game three featured the Warriors who continue to challenge anyone that gets in their way. Two Thursdays in a row now, they’ve proven they will be a thorn in anyone’s side, as they beat PAS Giannina.
Revolution 58 vs. Sixers 43
This Rev team is better than I initially thought. They lose 2 very good players in the offseason but maintained their level of teamwork and ball movement. These guys have experience and in this league, the experience will take you far. The Rev started the game short handed without the Nasis brothers who showed up closer to half time. When Vasili Nasis entered the game it was a seesaw close score but his presence sparked the Rev to go on a run and play better defense. Nasis ( 12 pts ) being consistently present for the Rev has equated to victories but he’s not the only one contributing. Gus Rombos was very aggressive with the basketball, driving hard and earning trips to the free throw line. Rombos had a season high 20 points. The Jersey boys also got some big 3 point shots from Captain John Skordos, whose 4 three pointers propelled the offensive run they made in the second half. A big game this weekend against the Kings presents an opportunity to knock off one of the best teams and jump into 1st place. 1st in my power rankings will also be on the line!
The Sixers struggled offensively last night and had trouble getting their star players going. Jim Armenakis led with 13 points and Chris Vasiliou had his quietest game we’ve seen in a while, scoring 7 points and having an off night shooting. If these guys are hitting shots, the Sixers are dangerous, but if they are off, the team will struggle similar to what happened last night. The Sixers started ok, scoring 28 points in the first half but the second half was troublesome offensively, scoring only 15 and points on 7 baskets and not getting to the free throw line at all. I think this is a night the Sixers would love to just forget and move on the the next one. Mr. PGBL’s Game Ball: Gus Rombos.
Danny’s Boys 67 vs. Wolfpack 59
Danny’s Boys are the defending champs with a great shot at the 1st 3peat in PGBL History and last night they proved that. When you combine their suffocating defense with a nuclear weapon like Pete Kathopoulis (32pts) you can beat anybody, anytime. Kathopoulis scored just about 50% of DB’s points last night, hitting big shots when it mattered. Pete scored 22 of DB’s 38 points in the 2nd half including some great 3 point shots and shooting 8-9 from the free throw line. The inside play of Dimitri Poulimenos and the all around ball movement by Kosta Nikolos and the DB guards was crucial for this win. They knock off the number 1 ranked Wolfpack so Danny’s Boys will be number 1 or 2 on my newest rankings, depending on what happens in the Kings/Rev game on Sunday. Danny’s Boys has the weekend off and return to action next Thursday against PAS Giannina.
A slow start really cost the Wolfpack last night. After a quick 8-0 lead in the first couple minutes, the Pack only managed to score 20 points in the 1st half and that seemed to hurt them in the long run. They did wake up and play way better offensively in the 2nd half scoring 39 points. George Vlahos scored 14 of his 19 points in the 2nd half and led the team in scoring and although he showed flashes, he didn’t seem like his usual self in this game. The only other player scoring in double digits was Aris Haritonidis who hit some very nice long 2 point jumpers at crucial times in the game. Lou Sarris Grau did his part defensively, blocking and altering several shots but some late mistakes and miscommunication by the Pack ultimately led to their defeat. Just the first loss of the season though and of course this isn’t a bad one. On to the Spartans on Sunday. Mr. PGBL’s Game Ball: Pete Kathopoulis.