Kings 87 vs. Revolution 71
The winning streak extends to 9 straight games now for the Kings and they improve their all time record to 53-18. But I’m sure these guys would trade some of those wins to have a championship ring. Bill Zonios (24 pts) has been getting better as the season goes on, looking energetic and very efficient offensively. Zonios scored from all over the court tonight and was able to pick his spots thanks to the ball handling of Niki Veronis (21 pts), who is able to slice and dice through any defense with his speed and agility. These guys are 2 of my top league MVP candidates and they’re on the same team! Newcomer Alex Veronis, played his first game last night and scored 11 in his debut along with a handful of assists and rebounds. The addition of Alex Veronis makes the Kings even better than before. Sunday vs. the Warriors we will get another look.
Pete Kada had a 20 point game last night, just above his average in a tough loss. Kada will get his points no matter what. He is a scorer from everywhere on the court, and if he gets hot from the outside he will torch teams. Kosta Pavlidis played well with 18 points, and a few very nice assists. His brother, Alex Pavlidis had a good game as well with 15 points. Alex is a scrappy rebounding hustler who will give you 10-15 per game with his energy. Reminds me of a Greek Kenneth Faried. The Revolution will face the Mavs next week.
Game ball: Rookie Alex Veronis.
Ellas 47 vs. Sixers 39
The Greeks come out at night! Ellas came to play last night and used up every ounce of energy they had to defeat a depleted Sixers team. We don’t keep rebounding stats but I’m assuming George Pantzaris is the leading rebounder in the PGBL. George scored 13 points and had over 10 rebounds including a handful of offensive rebounds. Nobody plays harder than this guy. What put the Ellas team over the top last night was the spark they got from Demetri Zikos in the second half. Zikos arrived late but the contribution he made was enough to fight the Sixers off and secure the victory. Zikos scored 12 second half points mostly from the paint. Good Job and good win.
Not much went the Sixers’ way on Thursday as they struggled to stay with a team they imagined they would dominate. The injuries and roster holes are starting to show their effects on the team and some of these guys are going to have to step up and make sure the team stays competitive. I will break down the scoring, then I will tell you why I believe the Sixers lost. Eddie Bekas 15, Alex Lolosides 8, John Vasiliou 6. The free throw shooting was the worst I’ve seen this season. 9-29 from the strike! That’s 31% and that will not get it done. The Sixers did a good job getting to the line, but just couldn’t convert.
Game ball: Demetri Zikos.
Danny’s Boys 43 vs. Mavs 39
In a low scoring sloppy game, Danny’s Boys does just enough to get by the Mavs for their 10th win. The big boys sat most of the game until the Mavs crept back into it with a few minutes left. That’s when Kathopoulis(11pts), Nikolos(4), Poulimenos(11) and Economides(3) got back into it and secured the W. Not much else to say about this game but a big game looms against the Kings in the last week of the season which could be for the division. Lets see if Danny’s Boys can beat the Rev coming up next.
The Mavs had a chance to take the lead with 1 minute left in the game , trailing by 2. A 3 pointer would have put them in front but fell short. They were close, but maybe could have been closer if they were making layups late in the game. Some short shots weren’t falling and that ended up costing in the end. Dimosthenis Touloumis led the team in scoring with 14 points and Bill Dosis followed with 11. Good game for these guys but disappointing result.
Game ball: Pete Kathopoulis for securing a win with late free throws.