EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 3/22/2008

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Men News

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ALGERIA

16th day results -by Foued Benhenni
Here are the results of 16th day in Algerian basketball league
with one game less between dar el beida en m'sila reported due to bad weather conditions in dar el beida city
USMHH-AUA 85-86
WBAB-NAHD 58-60
OB-CRMB 74-54
CRBDB-JSBM (reported)
NBS -CRBT 77-46
MCA-WAB 48-14
NAR-ASPTT 58-72
MCALGIERS is still leading the championship with 36 points 18 games playes and 18 games won ,standing in following topic

Algerian Men' s cup sweet sixteen -by Foued Benhenni
here are the results of Algerian cup sweet sixteen:
MCA-OB 89-66
USMMH-JSBM 73-69
WAB-NAHD 83-63
ASPPT ORAN-WSM72-69
NBS-TBBB 71-69
CRBDB-CRMB 65-47
MOOO-ASPTT ALGIERS (reported)
WBAB-AUA (reported)
in the under 18 male's cup
we can note mainly the victories of CRBDB,USMA ,WAB,USMMH,CSCDK and JSBM
the quarter finals will be given on saturday in Algierian basketball federation offices on 22 march

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AZERBAIJAN

NTD Service clinches third pace in Georgia -by Eurobasket News
Georgia held Kote Makharadze's memorial with four teams participating in the tournament. The local team was presented by Maccabi that in the end triumphed in the competition. Besides them the spectators could enjoy the representative from Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Israel. Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) was named MVP of the Memorial due to his outstanding performance.
In the first day of the tournament Maccabi beat NTD Service from Azerbaijan 89:56. The hosts desired to show the best game and easily reached the win. They opened the campaign with 29:11 in the opening quarter and then dedicated more time in defense. Maccabi held NTD Service to just six points in the second quarter as the teams left the court with 41:17 for the hosts. Even though the team from Azerbaijan won the third quarter Maccabi proved the superiority once again in the last period. Giorgi Shermadini was unstoppable with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists. Zurab Sanikidze (206-C/F-85) supported him with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Barbaqadze collected 17 points and 15 rebounds. Tahir Bakhshiyev (199-F-82) ended up with 18 points in the losing effort. In another opener Ukrainian Budivelnik overcame Hapoel from Israel.
In the game for the third place Devon beat Hapoel to clinch the third position. The team from Azerbaijan overcame the opponents 85:82 due to the last quarter. It was a very good game where both teams could be lucky with the win, but only one of them could benefit from it. A 26:23 in the last period brought the victory for Devon. Zaur Pashayev (184-G-83) top-scored for the winners with 31 points. Tahir Bakhshiyev made 15 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Sariev added 14. Nechaisi finished the game with 23 points in defeat.

Game for the third place
Hapoel - Devon 82:85
Hapoel: Nechaisi 23, Levi 20 + 9 rbs, Jona 11
Devon: Zaur Pashayev 31, Tahir Bakhshiyev 15 pts+ 8 rbs, Sariev 14

Day 1
Maccabi - NTD Service 89:56
Maccabi: Giorgi Shermadini 33 pts.+17 rbs.+ 8 asts, Zurab Sanikidze 20 pts.+ 8 rbs, Barbaqadze 17 pts.+ 15 rbs, Nikoladze 10
NTD Service: Tahir Bakhshiyev 18, Fashaev 13+12 rebs, Abuladze 10+ 8 rebs

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BARBADOS

Leacock, Bulls end Warriors' unbeaten run -by Justin Marville
Having dropped two of their first three games, the 2006 Premier League champs looked in apparent disarray entering Thursday night's contest with the undefeated league leaders.

The only thing apparent was that the Warriors had no answer for Ryan Leacock.

The veteran shooting guard scored 14 of his 18 points in a 26-3 third quarter run as the Clapham Bulls exploded for 37 points in the game's penultimate period on their way to an 86-65 rout of the Playfair Warriors when the Sprite/BOA Premier League continued at the YMCA.

Taking a 42-41 advantage early in the third period after dominant swingman Corey McDonald sank four consecutive free throws, the Warriors impending doom would have been inconceivable to most especially considering the lead changes that took place in a closely contested first half.

There would be no more lead changes once Leacock and company were finished with their Dayrell's Road opponents.

Sparked by a resurgent defence led by forward Mark Foster and back to back outside jumpers from Kodia Leacock and Halley Franklyn, the Bulls went on a remarkable tear, dominating both ends of the court in outscoring their opposition 26-3 as Ryan Leacock returned to his glory days of the late '90s in a forgettable six minute span for the Warriors.

The former national standout came off the bench and immediately knocked down an uncontested look which capped off a Clapham surge that saw the Bulls open up a double digit advantage after scoring 11 unanswered points.

McDonald would further complicate matters by picking up an unnecessary technical foul thereafter, forcing coach Frederick Bynoe to bench his star forward midway through the third.

The Bulls' great defence would only get more suffocating for the shell-shocked Warriors with the league's leading scorer watching from the side.

The flood gates opened as Leacock scored from just about everywhere, sinking outside jumpers while finding his way to the foul line to build a huge 67-45 Clapham advantage with less than two minutes remaining in the third.

McDonald would try to lead a brief rally when he was reinserted late in the quarter, scoring five quick points to cut into the Bulls' substantial lead but Leacock would add a timely three pointer at the end of the period to put an end to the insurgence.

With McDonald only playing the first few minutes of the ensuing quarter Clapham duly put away the previously undefeated league leaders, restricting the usually defiant Warriors to just two field goals in the fourth while forward Alvin Padmore scored at will in the paint to lead the Bulls charge.

Behind great execution of their half court offence led by the inside-outside tandem of McDonald and Kevin John, the Warriors built an early 17-8 lead in the first quarter as Clapham struggled offensively with Padmore missing several easy scoring opportunities down low.

However, the Bulls would find themselves back in the game once the athletically gifted forward sorted out his mistakes, scoring seven unanswered points to end the period which resulted in the Clapham side taking an ensuing 27-19 lead in the early goings of the second quarter.

But the Bulls would get an unlucky break as Padmore was forced to the bench midway through the period with a bloody nose and the Warriors quickly took advantage.

Led by reserve guard Kareem Farrell's six points off the bench, the Warriors reduced the deficit to a mere point, 35-34, by the half-time break despite the resilience of Foster and Neil Leacock.

Padmore led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Franklyn also had a double-double, finishing with 15 and 13 while Foster added 14 points and three blocked shots.

McDonald was held to 19 points and 10 boards, well below his season averages of 27.7 points and 13.7 rebounds, while John was the only other Warriors player in double digits with 11 points.

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BELGIUM

St Jan News -by Peter Buyse


Div 2 team St Jan Antwerpen has a new coach for next season. Tony van den Bosch at present still coaching in Holland will replace the departing Eddy Van Loon.
Eddy Mens will serve as assistant coach. St Jan has also signed young guard Vincent Verbeeck from Antwerp Giants.
Tony van den Bosch coached Leewaarden for the moment and was head-coach for another Dutch team Bergen-op-Zoom for several years.

Coach Van den Bosch last coached in Belgium during the 03-04 season when he coached Wevelgem.


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Charleroi News -by Peter Buyse

According to press sources Spirou Charleroi fired American guard Michael Jordan (183-G-78, agency: Court Side, college: Pennsylvania) today.
A spokesman for the team explained that Jordan was fired because of an altercation that took place during practise.
The spokesman also said the team saw no other option than to let go Jordan.
Jordan came to Charleroi from Italy where he played the whole 06-07 season for Cantu.
In 15 games for Spirou Jordan averaged 9.5ppg and 3.6apg.

Waregem News -by Peter Buyse

Bent Schoenen Waregem has signed forward Steve Robeyst (190-F-76) for the next 2 seasons. He played the past 4 seasons for Wevelgem.
Previously also played for Wevelgem in D1.
The team also extended the contract of Frederick Van Vooren.
Still signed for next season are Wouter Dewilde, Jorn Steinbach and Bart Cleymans together with coach Kris De Pauw and assistent-coach Franky Deprez.
Vincent Vermeiren's contract was not extended.

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BULGARIA

Gershon will have a seminar for bulgarian coaches -by Valentin Anguelov
Second transition fast break and it's differense from slow offense will be one of the themes of the lessons of new coach of bulgarian men's national team Pini Gershon at the seminar next week.
Next friday, march 28th at 10 o'clock legendary Israeli coach will talk about the personal man to man defense. He will attend the Final Four of Bulgarian cup next week in Samokov.

In the seminar will participate also Avram Kowalski, athletic coach who used to work with the basketball teams of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Olympiacos Athens. He will talk in fornt of bulgarian coaches about the athletic preparation during the season.

Roderick Blakney: If Bulgaria needs me, I will be there -by Valentin Anguelov

The american with bulgarian passport Roderick Blakney (181-G-76, college: S.Carolina St.) said that definitely he wants to play for Bulgarian national team if they call him. He was part of the National team last summer during the qualifications for Eurobasket 2007 in Spain. Later he joined greek Olympiacos where the coach recently was Pini Gershon.

'Once again I would like to say that if my country needs me I will be there,' said in the interview for Gong Roderick Blakney after the emotinal win of his team over Real Madrid and qualification for the next stage in this edition of Euroleague.

'We managed big win. It was a big challenge for us and we were able to eliminate such a team like Real Madrid. It was emotional win but we were sure in our abilities to do it. Before the game we had a honour for some legends of Olympiacos that won the title back in 1997. The arena was fully packed and we had a full support of the crowd. We played very well and deserved to win. Regarding Panagiotis Giannakis, I worked with him before 3 years in Maroussi. He trust me and I do the same with him.'

Probably you will also say that elimination of your major opponent in Greece - Panathinaikos from Eueoleague was a big surprise?'

Definitely was a surprise but Partizan played such a good basketball and desrved that big win.'

Now you will play with CSKA Moscow. You know them very well from the previous meetings, right?'Yes, it will be very hard against them. It's a best of three series and they have a home court advantage. We will try to get something from the games in Moscow, it will be very tough but we will try…'

I can't go on without asking you about your former coach in Olympiacos Pini Gershon who was selected to coach Bulgarian National Team. Did you talk with him about that?

'Actually, we didn't talk about it that much. When he had a press conference here in Athens, he told me that he accepted the job to coach Bulgaria and joked with me: 'Now I'm your coach in two teams'. He didn't specified anything more than that. But I'm always saying that if I receive invitation to help the National team will do so. Now It's up to them if they will call me or they will select somebody else to get a passport and help the National team of Bulgaria. Only one at the time naturalized player can play, right...'

It's not a secret that you are in very good relationship with former head coach of Bulgaria Titi Papazov, one of the assistents of Pini Gershon. Do you think they can cooperate well together?

'I think so. Pini knows the game very well while Titi is so emotional and he is a good coach as well. I think they can work very well together and they will be very good combination. Like I said, if they wants me to come, I will be here. For me It's a pleasure for me to play for Bulgaria and when the country needs me I will be there.'

Can you say that greek championship is interesting now?

'Yes, we are playing very good basketball right now. Before we play against Panathinaikos, we were not ready and lost. Now we have a big game for the Cup of Greece. We have to think about the Euroleague as well.'

Do you want to say something to your bulgarian fans?

'I want to say Hello and hopefully to work together again.'



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CAMEROON

NCAA Tournament... -by Yann Tientcheu

The 2008 edition of the NCAA Tournamnent has already been launched, and less Cameroonian players are living the breath-taking excitment of March
Madness. Only six countrymen are competing in the NCAA tournament and this with UCLA (Luc Richard Mbah A Moute and Alfred Aboya), University of Texas
(Alexis Wangmene (203-F/C-89)),Villanova University (Frank Tchuisi (203-F/C-86) (203-F/C-86)), UNLV (Beas Hamga (213-C) who is surrently red-shirted for injury). and Western Kentucky University. (Boris Siakam (201-F))
UCLA defeated Mississipi Valley State University by the resounding score of 70-29 on march 20th. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (200-G/F-88) had 9pts and 9rbds in that game in 18mns of playing
time. Alfred Aboya (203-F/C-85) ,who saw more playing time than Mbah A moute (who sprained his ankle last week during the Pac 10 Tournmant) scored 4pts and grabbed 6rds. UCLA will
face Texas A&M on March 22nd.
The Texas Longhorn of Alexis Wangmene will face the Austin Peay Governors today at 3pm, while Villanova of Frank Tchuisi will have much to deal with in Clemson University
at 9:50pm. University of Nevada at las Vegas of Beas Hamga defeated Kentucky University by the score 71-58. They will face Kansas University on the 22nd.

Western Kentucky of Boris Siakam should be opposed to Drake University on the 21st.



All our countrymen advanced... -by Yann Tientcheu
The first round of the NCAA Tournament already came to an end, and all our countrymen survived the eliminations
Western Kentucky University of Boris Siakam (201-F) overcame Drake University in overtime by the final score of 101-99. Siakam had 7pts and 4rbds in the game.
University of Texas did not have lot of trouble overlasting Austin Peay given the final score of 74-54. Alexis Wangmene (203-F/C-89) played 9mns in the game.
Villanova University of Frank Tchuisi (203-F/C-86) outplayed Clemson University 75-69. Frank Tchuisi only saw 1mn of action in the game. Villanova will face
Siena on the 23rd, while the Texas Longhorns and the Wester Kentucky Hilltoppers will respectively be opposed to Miami University and the University of San Diego.
The Cameroonian Player of the day was Boris Siakam with his 7pts and 4rbds.

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CUBA

Cuban Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
CUBAN ABROAD
In Puerto Rico, Mayaguez defeated Santurce, one of the strongest teams of the BSN League with players as Larry Ayuso and Miguel Ali Berdiel, 85-68. Angel Caballero played 29 minutes and He scored 4 pts (2/4 2pts, 0/1 3pts) with 2 rebs, 1 assist and 1 steal. He played good with a great intensity in defense.
Atletico San German was defeated by Cariduros Fajardo 60-74 and Roberto Carlos Herrera played only 3 minutes with 0 pts (0/1 2pts) and 1 rebound.
In Argentina, Obras was defeated by Deportivo Sunchales 85-81. Lazaro Borrell played 22 minutes with 0 pts (0/2 2pts, 0/3 3pts) and 4 rebounds. The game before, Lazaro Borell was the MVP of the game, when Obras was defeated by Ben Hur 77-73. For the Cuban 18 pts+6 rebs. Tonight Obras will play against Boca Juniors.

LSB 2008
The Final between Ciego de Avila and Capitalinos (0-1 for the team of La Habana) will be played next week, becuase some Capitalinos players are not ready yet to play after the physical problems of last week.
A. Fontana

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DENMARK

Bakken Bears take the lead against Horsholm -by Eurobasket News
Bakken Bears - Horsholm 79ers 81:71

The regular season champions Bakken Bears got to a winning start of their semifinal series against the Horsholm 79ers. Playing at home Bakken rolled to an 81:71 victory. The Bears sent a strong message to the opponents claiming an energy-saving win at the NRGI Arena. Bakken controlled the situation from tip off. They spurred ahead at the start and piled up an 18:13 lead after the opening frame. The 79ers simply could not find the ways to change the complexion of the game losing at every corner of the court. The margin grew to 11 points at halftime 44:33. The hosts were obviously stronger under the rims and 42% field goal accuracy from Horsholm cost them a lot. Bakken never stopped in the third period stretching the margin to 14 points. Finally the 79ers managed to trim the deficit a bit and fell short by 10 at the end. Five Bakken players scored in double figures. Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Albany) paced the team with 15 points. Chris Christoffersen (218-C-79, college: Oregon) nailed 14 points and collected 13 rebounds. Jens Jensen (195-G/F-75, college: Cal-Irvine) and Casper Hesseldal (197-F-85) drilled 14 points apiece for the winners. Nick Billings (214-C-82, college: Binghamton) answered with 23 points and 10 boards for Horsholm. Duane James (198-F-83, college: Binghamton) and Frederik Nielsen (180-G-88) had 11 points apiece in defeat. The Bears outrebounded the 79ers 42:26 and forced those to 19 turnovers.
Game 2 is scheduled for tomorrow in Horsholm.

Bakken: Jason Siggers 15, Chris Christoffersen 14+13 boards, Jens Jensen 14, Casper Hesseldal 14
Horsholm: Nick Billings 23+10 boards, Duane James 11, Frederik Nielsen 11

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EBA

Alexandria moves from EBA to NPBL -by Gianni Pascucci
After making waves in the 2008 edition of the Eastern Basketball Alliance, the Alexandria Avengers, a team based in Virginia under the ownership of Dominic Manuel , decided to join the National Professional Basketball League last week, playing their first game versus the New York Strikeforce. The Avengers will play their last EBA game tomorrow night, hosting the Philadelphia Power, then they will fully concentrate on the new league, given that the EBA board decided not to play the league playoffs, originally scheduled for March 29 and 30. Moving to NPBL, the Avengers kept the same team roster, led by vet Daryl Owens (6'2''-G-76, college: Nova CC), who was the leading rebounder in the EBA, and showed it immediatley to the Strikeforce, with a debuting game of 20 points and almost 20 rebounds...

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ESTONIA

Tartu/Rock beats Kalev -by Eurobasket News
TU/Rock closed the gap on BC Kalev with a 67:61 victory on Tuesday. TU/Rock built a decisive lead in the first half and never allowed BC Kalev to deny in front of the crowd at the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn. The visitors opened the game firing from all guns and managed to account for 30 points in the first term to run away to a 30:20 distance. The tempo slowed down in the second period with teams paying more attention to defense. Kalev finally found the right rhythm and started to trim the deficit despite a considerable number of mistakes. The hosts trailed by 7 points at halftime and by 5 before the fourth stanza. But TU/Rock eventually celebrated a tough win surviving tense final minutes. Brian Cusworth (213-C-84, college: Harvard) came up with game-high 22 points to lead TU/Rock. George Tsintsadze (192-G-86) added 14 points, while Tanel Tein (194-G/F-78, college: St.Francis,NY) dropped 10 points and dished out 6 assists for the winners. Kristjan Kangur (202-F-82) answered with 13 points and 11 boards for BC Kalev. Travis Reed (203-C-79, college: Long Beach St.) had 12 points and 8 boards for the league leaders in a loss. Kalev fell to 27-2 record just two wins ahead of Tartu outfit.
Triobet/Dalkia secured their third position as they bruised Kraft Moobel 79:68 at home. Everything was decided in the first half as the hosts accumulated a 48:33 lead and never gave it up. Sten Sokk (181-G-89) provided 21 points for the winning side. Gert Dorbek (187-G-85) contributed 15 points as Triobet/Dalkia improved to 21-7 record. Heiko Niidas (206-C-83) responded with 21 points and 10 boards for Kraft Moobel.

Standings - KML
EMKL Standings
1. BC Kalev 27-2
2. TU/Rock 25-3
3. Triobet/Dalkia 21-7
4. Pirita 21-9
5. Tar.Fausto 16-16
6. Valga Welg 15-16
7. Parnu 9-22
8. Kraft Mooel 6-24
9. Rakvere 6-27
10. TTU KK 4-24


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EUROLEAGUE

Zalgiris loses for the fifth time in Top 16 -by Eurobasket News
Maccabi - Zalgiris 80:66

Zalgiris finished their Top 16 action with a sour loss to Maccabi at the Nokia Centre in Tel-Aviv. Thus Maccabi claimed the top spot in Group F, while Zalgiris ended up at the bottom of the ladder. The hosts jumped to an 8:2 lead early in the encounter but Marcus Brown (192-G-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Murray St.) fired from beyond the arc and Paulius Jankunas (204-F-84, agency: Interperformances) converted a layup to put Zalgiris within a striking distance. Soon Zalgiris put their noses in front as DeJuan Collins (188-G-76, college: Tuskegee) and Paulius Jankunas scored jumpers. But Maccabi had the last say in the frame with Esteban Batista (208-F/C-83) and Yotam Halperin (196-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) securing a 24;20 lead for Maccabi after 10 minutes. The home side opened the second frame with a 10:0 run to clear off. Israeli outfit now took over and dominated the game. The hosts enjoyed a double-digit lead before Marcus Brown and Paulius Jankunas organized a 10:0 run from the visitors that cut the margin to 3 points. Yotam Halperin once again capped the frame with a massive trey and gave Maccabi a 42:35 lead at halftime. Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances) stepped up for Maccabi at the start of the third period as he knocked down 4 points and Batista added a layup to keep Maccabi at comfortable distance. Omri Casspi (204-F/G-88, agency: Interperformances) and Alex Garcia (191-G-80, agency: Interperformances) crafted a 60:46 lead for Maccabi after 30 minutes of action. Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) and Jonas Maciulis (200-G/F-85, agency: Interperformances) trimmed the deficit to 10 points but it was as close as Zalgiris could get. Derrick Sharp (183-G-71, college: S.Florida) drained back-to-back trebles and Maccabi never looked back. Yotam Halperin scored 17 points for Maccabi. Nikola Vujcic had 12 points, while Derrick Sharp and Terence Morris (206-F-79, college: Maryland) secured 11 points apiece in a winning case. Marcus Brown answered with 16 points for Zalgiris. Jonas Maciulis chipped in 13 points for the Lithuanian champions.
Maccabi will take on Barcelona in the best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Maccabi: Yotam Halperin 17, Nikola Vujcic 12, Derrick Sharp 11, Terence Morris 11
Zalgiris: Marcus Brown 16, Jonas Maciulis 13

Barcelona beats CSKA to join the Top 8 stage -by Eurobasket News
Barcelona - CSKA 64:62

Russian powerhouse CSKA fell just short to Barcelona in the last round of Top 16 stage allowing the hosts to qualify for the quarterfinals. Barcelona thus improved to 3-3 record and surpassed Unicaja due to a tie-break point advantage against them. The game turned into a real basketball drama with the teams going hand in hand throughout the encounter. Alex Acker (196-G-83, college: Pepperdine) and Gianluca Basile (192-G-75) scored 6 straight points to open the game. Fran Vazquez (210-C-83) quickly added 4 more points and Barcelona grabbed a 10:0 lead at the start. Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) finally broke the scoring deadlock for CSKA with free throws but Basile immediately reacted with another trey to make it 13:2 for the hosts. Finally CSKA seemed to shake off sloppiness and began paving their way back into contest. Matjaz Smodis, Thomas Van Den Spiegel and Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) trimmed the gap 5 points. Khryapa and Trajan Langdon (192-G-76, college: Duke) scored 5 more points and CSKA climbed within a single point from Barcelona. Finally Khryapa dropped two free throws and CSKA appeared leading 16:15 after the opening frame. Ramunas Siskauskas stretched the lead as he converted a layup to open the second period. From now on the teams traded baskets and the lead changed hands for a couple of times in the quarter. Lakovic and Viktor Khryapa (204-F/G-82) exchanged trebles late in the term and CSKA secured a 33:32 advantage at halftime.
Trajan Langdon and David Andersen deepened the damage early in the third frame. But Fran Vazquez and Pepe Sanchez tied the score midway through the quarter. Later Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) scored 6 points in a row to put the hosts up by 5 points 50:45. However CSKA answered with a three-pointer from Trajan Langdon and the teams entered the fourth stanza with Barcelona leading by 2. Ramunas Siskauskas and Papaloukas retained the advantage for CSKA not long into the final term. The teams kept it close before Ersan Ilyasova (207-F-87) and Fran Vasquez carried the home side to a 60:55 distance with less than two minutes left. Trajan Langdon fired from downtown to trim the deficit and then converted a free throw to keep the visitors inches away. Basile and Ramunas Siskauskas traded buckets and then Ersan Ilyasova had his say dunking the ball with 7 seconds left for a 64:61 lead. Ramunas Siskauskas got to charity stripe and hit the first free throw. He missed the second one, while Fran Vazquez and Matjaz Smodis received double foul and CSKA remained with the ball. J.R. Holden had a chance to save the game for CSKA but his three-point attempt went off mark bringing Barcelona to the quarterfinal birth.
Jaka Lakovic scored 14 points to pace Barcelona. Gianluca Basile, Fran Vazquez and Ersan Ilyasova netted 8 points apiece for the winners. Ramunas Siskauskas and Viktor Khryapa answered with 13 points apiece for CSKA. Trajan Langdon had 12 points in defeat.
Barcelona will now face Maccabi Tel-Aviv, while CSKA will take on Olympiacos at the quarterfinal stage.

Barcelona: Jaka Lakovic 14, Gianluca Basile 8, Fran Vazquez 8, Ersan Ilyasova 8
CSKA: Ramunas Siskauskas 13, Viktor Khryapa 13

Olympiakos - Real Madrid: After the game report -by Kostas Papadopoulos
Eurobasket.com's Greek section was present at the game between Olympiakos and Real Madrid and hereby comes the report after the game:
From the players, first of the following three, Arvydas Macijauskas (192-G-80) stated, after his impressing come-back (though having played few minutes but having scored three precious points), that he felt ready to play for two weeks already. When team coach ordered him to come on the floor, he felt really confident, especially in these crucial seconds when he always has trust to himself. Finally, he mentioned that 'tonight, we knocked out the team whose city will host the Final-4. Everybody understands how important this is'.
Then Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) came out of the lockers to point out that after starting the Top-16 with two straight losses, nobody believed that Olympiakos could make it to the quarterfinals. But, with hard work and patience, the team made it, with everybody putting himself in the service of the team. Reds' fans built a great atmosphere and they really offered a big-time support. 'The games against CSKA will be a different story. I think we are the outsiders in the series', he ended.
Panagotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84, agency: FCM), probably the MVP of the game, was the last Red player to speak with stressing on happiness that the team made it to the quarterfinals. 'The two away wins we made were the key to our success. These two road wins changed our morale and made us believe that we can make it. Tonight, we managed to keep our concentration for all the 40 minutes and prevent Real Madrid from keeping us out of our rhythm. I think we proved we wanted it more. When Arvydas Macijauskas scored the basket-plus-foul, I said to him: 'Welcome back'. He really offers much help to the team and as soon as Sofocles Schortsianitis (206-C-85) return to the team, we will become even stronger. It's too early to speak about the games against CSKA. I know they are improving too, as Smodis came back. We will see'.
For Real players, Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) admitted that they knew it was tough to come at Olympiacos's home court and win. The team didn't play its worst game, but not its best either; that was not enough to qualify to the quarterfinals. 'We managed to stay always close and went ahead at the third period. However, we didn't believe in the victory as much as Olympiacos did', he mentioned. On the other side, Lazaros Papadopoulos (210-C-80) pointed on that Real didn't have a good game tonight. 'We had the chance, but it simply didn't happen. Olympiacos managed to hold the score at a low level and had better decision making on offense. Life is not over, though. That's sports and basketball. Both teams cannot win. We sould focus on the Spanish League now, where three difficult games follow. I hope Olympiacos will travel to Madrid for the Final Four'.
At the press conference, coach Joan Plaza gave his congratulations to Olympiacos, although he thought it wasn't better overall, but it was better at particular moments of the game. 'Our opponents were also lucky in some cases, such us the triple off the glass that Bouroussis made; that proved to be a critical moment. Apart from that, I am happy and proud for my players. We learned much from this Euroleague season. We will keep on developing as a team. Experience is something we gained from the season in the Euroleague. I wish good luck to Olympiacos', he stated.
On the other side, Olympiakos' coach, Panagiotis Giannakis , among other things, he mentioned that the team started the Top-16 with some crucial mistakes against Maccabi at home. 'However, we rolled on for some good away wins. All the team believes in its players and in the efforts we give both in the practice and in the game. We will now try to knock out CSKA, a team that is built to win it all the way. We should just walk and don't fly in the sky because of this win and our general qualification during the last month. We still need to be patient and time will be on our side', he ended, without forgetting giving honour to Reds' funs for their big help.

*****************************************************
GABON

Standings
FEGABAB Standings
1. Stade Madji 0-0
2. Somo B 0-0
3. CAS 1987 0-0
4. LCM 0-0
5. Manga Basket 0-0
6. Engong 0-0
7. Toungui 0-0
8. Libama 0-0


*****************************************************
GEORGIA

Shermadini leads his Maccabi to triumph in Kote Makharadze's memorial -by Eurobasket News
Georgia held Kote Makharadze's memorial with four teams participating in the tournament. The local team was presented by Maccabi that in the end triumphed in the competition. Besides them the spectators could enjoy the representative from Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Israel. Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) was named MVP of the Memorial due to his outstanding performance.
In the first day of the tournament Maccabi beat NTD Service from Azerbaijan 89:56. The hosts desired to show the best game and easily reached the win. They opened the campaign with 29:11 in the opening quarter and then dedicated more time in defense. Maccabi held NTD Service to just six points in the second quarter as the teams left the court with 41:17 for the hosts. Even though the team from Azerbaijan won the third quarter Maccabi proved the superiority once again in the last period. Giorgi Shermadini was unstoppable with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists. Zurab Sanikidze (206-C/F-85) supported him with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Barbaqadze collected 17 points and 15 rebounds. Bakhshiyev Tahir ended up with 18 points in the losing effort.
In another opener Ukrainian Budivelnik overcame Hapoel from Israel. Ukrainian side opened the game with 10:25 to take control of the encounter. With back-to-back baskets the difference remained the same. Hapoel tried to catch up the opponents and produced 23:20 in the second period to reduce to 33:45 after the half time. A 23:15 for Buduvelnik in the last quarter sent them to the Final of the tournament. Maxim Balashov (192-G-80) top-scored for the winners with 18 points. Gorbenko netted 16 and Leonid Yailo (207-F-73) scored 5. Levi collected 14 points and 8 rebounds in defeat.
In the game for the third place Devon beat Hapoel to clinch the third position. The team from Azerbajzhan overcame the opponents 85:82 due to the last quarter. It was a very good game where both teams could be lucky with the win, but only one of them could benefit from it. A 26:23 in the last period brought the victory for Devon. Pashayev Zaur top-scored for the winners with 31 points. Bakhshiyev Tahir made 15 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Sariev added 14. Nechaisi finished the game with 23 points in defeat.
The Final game was more than expected between two favorites and Maccabi triumphed in the Memorial. The hosts opened the game with 21:15 and then increased to 8 points at the half. A tough end of the game ended with a final whistle and applause from the fans. Giorgi Shermadini top-scored again with 31 points and 8 rebounds. Zurab Sanikidze collected 15 points and 11 rebounds, while D. Barbaqadze scored 13. Stefanishchin led the Ukrainian side with 16 points.

Final
Maccabi - Budivelnik 87:81
Maccabi: Giorgi Shermadini 31+8 rebs, Zurab Sanikidze 15+11 rbs, D. Barbaqadze 13
Budivelnik: Stefanishchin 16, Leonid Yailo 13, Horbenko 12

Game for the third place
Hapoel - Devon 82:85
Hapoel: Nechaisi 23, Levi 20 + 9 rbs, Jona 11
Devon: Pashayev Zaur 31, Bakhshiyev Tahir 15 pts+ 8 rbs, Sariev 14

Semifinals
Maccabi - NTD Service 89:56
Maccabi: Giorgi Shermadini 33 pts.+17 rbs.+ 8 asts, Zurab Sanikidze 20 pts.+ 8 rbs, Barbaqadze 17 pts.+ 15 rbs, Nikoladze 10
NTD Service: Bakhshiyev Tahir 18, Fashaev 13+12 rebs, Abuladze 10+ 8 rebs

Hapoel - Budivelnik 62:82
Hapoel: Levi 14 pts.+8 rbs, Neshaisi 14, Biton 8
Budivelnik: Maxim Balashov 18, Gorbenko 16, Leonid Yailo 5

*****************************************************
GERMANY

Lich: Michael Wilds returns to the States -by Moritz Korff
LTi Lich (2. Bundesliga Pro A) has parted with Michael Wilds (203-F-82, agency: Court Side, college: Louisiana Tech). The Forward had been unable to play with a pubic bone-injury in the past seven games. That's why Wilds and the club-officials now agreed on terminating the contract. The 25-year-old will return to the USA to recover from his injury. In 18 appearances on the Lich-team Wilds scored 12.4 points on average and pulled down 5.0 rebounds per outing.

Albert-Schweitzer-Tournament kicks off Saturday -by Moritz Korff
Names like Magic Johnson, Vince Carter, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker or Pau Gasol leave no doubt. The Albert-Schweitzer-Tournament, that is being held once every two years in the city of Mannheim, is one of the finest places to see the upcoming superstars play. On Saturday the 20th edition of the AST with some of the most talented youngster under 18 years will start with the encounter of Spain and New Zealand. The hosting Germans will take on local rival Holland in their first match. The Dutch replaced South Africa, who decided not to go to the start only some days ago. However, Germany will be without its starting Point Guard Maurice Stuckey, who suffered an injury in a scrimmage game against Australia this week.
The following countries will be in Mannheim, trying to go for gold to follow the French team who won in 2006:

Group A:
Turkey, Germany, Sweden, Holland

Group B:
Spain, Argentina, Croatia, New Zealand

Group C:
Russia, Italy, Australia, Canada

Group D:
USA, Greece, France, Israel

Who will be players to watch in Mannheim?
Group A: The Turkish team that will get huge support from many of its fellow countrymen living in Germany won the AST in 2004 thanks to great performances of Ersan Ilyasova. So who will be the next Ilyasova? What about Can Mutaf maybe? The Guard led the Turks in scoring (8 games: 18.3ppg) at the 2007 U16 European Championship. Melih Mahmutoglu could catch the eyes of the scouts as well. The 17-year-old Guard posted 8.8 points per contest in 8 games of the U18-EURO last year. The two 204cm-Post Players Deniz Kilicli and Enes Kanter could make some noise under the basket.
Alexander Lindqvist, a Wing at 203cm, was the star of the Swedish U16-NT, that made the 3rd place in the Division B of last years U16-EURO. Lindqvist recorded 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest in that tourney, when leading his side to bronze. Some parts of Swedens AST-roster also attended the 2007 U18-EURO (Div. B). Christoffer Ryan, a 196cm-Guard, and Forward Omar Zagden each averaged double digits in scoring at that event. Mohamed Kherrazi, a 200cm-Power Forward, led Team Holland in scoring and rebounding at the 2007 European Championship for 18Under-National Teams (Div. B) and should be a key player for the Dutch in Mannheim as well. Players to watch on the Oranje-Team are also Joshua Kramer, a tall Playmaker of Omniworld Almere, and sharpshooter Joren van Vugt. The talented Big Men on the German roster will add strenght and size to the game: Marvin Kruchen, Erik Land, Maik Zirbes and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann build an impressive front-line. Robert Huelsewede, Simon Schmitz and Jusuf El Domiaty are other players who could carry the host.

Group B: Ricky Rubio, the wonder boy of Spanish basketball, will not come to Mannheim, as he is already an irreplaceable part of ACB-team Joventut Badalona, but nevertheless the next generation of the current World Champion, has great talent to offer. Albderto Jodar, a 205cm-Forward, who led Spain to the final of the 2007 U16-EURO with 15.4 points and 7.9 boards per outing, could be the next star. Toni Prostran from Croatia already proved to be an outstanding scorer, when leading the Croatian U16-NT at the 2007 EURO with exactly 20 points and almost 3 threes made per game. His teammate Mario Delas is a 208cm-Center with the ability to score from beyond the arc.
Argentina will represent the South American continent in Mannheim: the Center Pablo Orilietti posted 11.0 points and a team-high 4.8 rebounds per game in the 2007 South American Championship for U17-Teams, when the Gauchos captured the title. Ezequiel Manzanarez, a great shooter, had an average of 9.8 points in the same tournament. New Zealand suffered defeat in a preparation-game against Germany this week. In this encounter the Tall Blacks were led by Dion Prewster, a 192cm-Guard/Forward.

Group C: Russia has never won the AST yet, but the huge pool of talents will make sure to send a competitive roster to Mannheim. The Guards Boris Sprygin, Aleksandr Karpukhin and Forwards Evegeny Valiev were starters, when Russia won the silver-medal at the U16-EURO in 2006. Italy finished the same tournament on 6th place. Luca Campani was the leading scorer and rebounder of the Azzuri. We will see how he has developed within these two years, when he steps to the court in Mannheim. Canadian basketball has always been overshadowed by the USA. But the large number of Canada-natives in the NBA and in NCAA-basketball gives a hint at the potential of the Maple Leafs. Sudan-born Mangisto Arop, an athletic Guard/Forward, is surely a player to watch in Mannheim. Just like every member of Team Canada Arop is a part of the National Elite Development Academy at McMaster University, where the Canadian junior men's national team is centralized. Another interesting player is Robert Dewar (208cm), the tallest player on the Canadian roster.
Australia defeated Germany in a preparation game (93:57) earlier this week and looked dominating in the paint as the Aussie-Post Players Shane Harris-Tunks (208cm), Mitchell Young (204cm) and Brock Motum (205cm) each scored in double-figures.

Group D: For the first time since 1975 Coach Dick McCann will not stand at the helm of Team USA at the Albert-Schweitzer-Tournament. The Co-host (parts of the games take place in the US Sports Arena which is located at the American Military Base in Mannheim) named Lionel Hollins the Head Coach this year. Hollins enjoyed a successful career as a player in the NBA in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He is currently a member of the Coaching Staff of the Memphis Grizzlies. Most of his players who will represent the USA in Mannheim are already in the radar of the top-colleges in the country. Wally Judge, an athletic Forward of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Florida, Post Brendan Lane from Rocklin HS in Rocklin, California, Travis Releford from Shawnee Mission, who is commited to the University of Kansas, Center Jeffree Withey from Horizon HS in San Diego, Ca. and Forward Erik Murphy (St. Mark's School, Southborough, MA) are considered as the most promising talents on the team. Greece has a great scorer in Nikolaos Pappas. The Point Guard averaged 13.4 points per game when the Greek U18-NT advanced to the final of the 2007 EURO. The defending champion France will attend the AST for the 19th time. Big Man Alexis Tanghe and Forward Christophe Leonard could be two of the stars of this years tourney. Israel completes Group D: Take an eye on the Israeli backcourt with Liran Moran, a 192cm-Shooting Guard and Playmaker Ron Sabag.

Follow all the action on the official website of the Albert-Schweitzer-Tournament: http://www.ast-basketball.de

*****************************************************
GREECE

Olympiakos - Real Madrid: After the game report -by Kostas Papadopoulos
Eurobasket.com's Greek section was present at the game between Olympiakos and Real Madrid and hereby comes the report after the game:
From the players, first of the following three, Arvydas Macijauskas (192-G-80) stated, after his impressing come-back (though having played few minutes but having scored three precious points), that he felt ready to play for two weeks already. When team coach ordered him to come on the floor, he felt really confident, especially in these crucial seconds when he always has trust to himself. Finally, he mentioned that 'tonight, we knocked out the team whose city will host the Final-4. Everybody understands how important this is'.
Then Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) came out of the lockers to point out that after starting the Top-16 with two straight losses, nobody believed that Olympiakos could make it to the quarterfinals. But, with hard work and patience, the team made it, with everybody putting himself in the service of the team. Reds' fans built a great atmosphere and they really offered a big-time support. 'The games against CSKA will be a different story. I think we are the outsiders in the series', he ended.
Panagotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84, agency: FCM), probably the MVP of the game, was the last Red player to speak with stressing on happiness that the team made it to the quarterfinals. 'The two away wins we made were the key to our success. These two road wins changed our morale and made us believe that we can make it. Tonight, we managed to keep our concentration for all the 40 minutes and prevent Real Madrid from keeping us out of our rhythm. I think we proved we wanted it more. When Arvydas Macijauskas scored the basket-plus-foul, I said to him: 'Welcome back'. He really offers much help to the team and as soon as Sofocles Schortsianitis (206-C-85) return to the team, we will become even stronger. It's too early to speak about the games against CSKA. I know they are improving too, as Smodis came back. We will see'.
For Real players, Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) admitted that they knew it was tough to come at Olympiacos's home court and win. The team didn't play its worst game, but not its best either; that was not enough to qualify to the quarterfinals. 'We managed to stay always close and went ahead at the third period. However, we didn't believe in the victory as much as Olympiacos did', he mentioned. On the other side, Lazaros Papadopoulos (210-C-80) pointed on that Real didn't have a good game tonight. 'We had the chance, but it simply didn't happen. Olympiacos managed to hold the score at a low level and had better decision making on offense. Life is not over, though. That's sports and basketball. Both teams cannot win. We sould focus on the Spanish League now, where three difficult games follow. I hope Olympiacos will travel to Madrid for the Final Four'.
At the press conference, coach Joan Plaza gave his congratulations to Olympiacos, although he thought it wasn't better overall, but it was better at particular moments of the game. 'Our opponents were also lucky in some cases, such us the triple off the glass that Bouroussis made; that proved to be a critical moment. Apart from that, I am happy and proud for my players. We learned much from this Euroleague season. We will keep on developing as a team. Experience is something we gained from the season in the Euroleague. I wish good luck to Olympiacos', he stated.
On the other side, Olympiakos' coach, Panagiotis Giannakis , among other things, he mentioned that the team started the Top-16 with some crucial mistakes against Maccabi at home. 'However, we rolled on for some good away wins. All the team believes in its players and in the efforts we give both in the practice and in the game. We will now try to knock out CSKA, a team that is built to win it all the way. We should just walk and don't fly in the sky because of this win and our general qualification during the last month. We still need to be patient and time will be on our side', he ended, without forgetting giving honour to Reds' funs for their big help.

24th Day of A2 league - Greece -by Polis Georgiadis
Four very interesting games will be held for the 24th day of A2 league.
AS Trikalla will try to add another win in order to assure the first position of the league. Panorama GS (best defense of the league) will have to make a real effort in order to win in a very difficult away game against MENT Vassilakis
Both Panorama GS (17-6) and Dafni Athens (17-6) will fight for the 2nd position of the league that leads to A1 next year. Dafni Athens will play against I.C.B.S. (13-10),which is the best offense of the league.
Iraklis Thessaloniki (13-10) needs a win against Ionikos Lamias (14- 9) in order to climb up to the forth position of the league. Peristeri will try to make the forth consecutive win (Dafni Athens, Panerythraikos AS, MENT Vassilakis) against P.Faliro, which counts 10 consecutive games without a victory. Very difficult away game for HSBC Pagrati Athens against Sporting , which has proved that will fight in all the games, although this team was in low position from the start of the league.
At the last two games Panerythraikos AS-Halkida and Ilisiakos-Xanthi visitors will need very good performance in order to win.

*****************************************************
GUYANA

LABA 2007/8 FOUR TEAM RELEGATION TOURNAMENT -by Joe Chapman
GTS BULLS UNBEATEN WITH TWO WINS
FIRST Division club Glands Trucking Service (GTS) Bulls scored their second win in as many matches with a 68-62 victory over another first division team Alleyene's Retrieve Raiders.
And Patriots, one of two second-division clubs seeking a berth in the first division, bounced back from their opening defeat against Raiders to beat the other second-division club New Ballers 69-58 when the Linden Amateur Basketball Association's (LABA) ‘Relegation' competition continued Wednesday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.
The Bulls proved the better of the two first division clubs after the scores were tied at the end of the first quarter at 15, but the Raiders were up by one at halftime leading 28-27.
However, a tremendous showing in the fourth quarter where the Bulls outscored the Raiders by ten points, saw them take the lead 50-41 and eventually romp home winners by a 68-62 score-line.
Guard Ruel McKinnon had 17 points and centre Terrence James 12 for the Bulls who can cement their place with another win tomorrow night with victory against the Patriots.
Guard Alexander Rise led the scoring for Raiders with 17 points with support from forward Louis James who got nine and Jermaine Hamilton with eight.
The new-club Patriots are in a must-win situation to have a chance of qualifying for first division status when they play Bulls.
The Patriots after going down to Raiders regrouped to beat New Ballers 69-58 behind solid scoring by forwards Neil Marks with 14, and Alwyn Wilson, Wuekema Bastiani and guard Domain Allen all with 10 points.
Shawn Ettienne was the best shoot for the Ballers with 12 points who must win against the Raiders to have a mathematical chance of playing first division basketball.
Raiders and Bulls had drawn first blood against Ballers and Patriots when the tournament began on Monday at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.
Playing in the first game of the four-way team competition, the Bulls came away victorious by a ten-point margin against Ballers 56-46.
The Bulls were ahead at the end of the first quarter 17-13, but saw the Ballers gather themselves to take the lead at halftime 25-23. But the experienced Bulls were able to steady their game and by the end of the third quarter were leading 41-35 and the experience of Terrence James who came alive in the last quarter steered them clear for the win.
Kenneth Charles with 19 points, Terrence James 17 and Ryan Joseph seven were responsible for Bulls' eventual win.
Dennel Benjamin with 12 points and Rondell Grant nine were the leading players for the Ballers.
The second game was a ding-dong affair between the Raiders and Patriots.
The second division number two side Patriots took the initiative when they led at the end of the first quarter 12-9 and were leading 23-22 when the half-time whistle came.
It was a tough game throughout and the Patriots seemed set to score a solid win when they maintained control going into the last quarter 31-26.
However, the resolve of the Raiders and some key turnovers forced by an aggressive Raiders bench saw Raiders triumph with a 41-38 win.
Alexander Rose had 10 points and Louis James nine, Mugabe Hunte eight and Jermaine Hamilton seven for the Raiders.
The Patriots were led by Domain Allen who had a game-high 12 points, while Seon Charles, Thornton Wilson and Alwyn Wilson had six points each.
The top two finishers will take the fifth and sixth slots among the LABA First Division teams and the third and fourth teams play in the second division.

*****************************************************
HOLLAND

Matrixx Magixx Win Thriller Over Upstairs Weert -by Sanders Jackson

In the Horstacker on Thursday night, Matrixx Magixx creeped closer towards the top of the FEB standings, winning its third consecutive game with a convincing 100-82 victory over Upstairs Weert. Matrixx dominated the last three quarters, with excellent shooting, numbers of 67.5% FG, 10 of 19 from the three-point, with good balanced scoring and sharing the basketball. Matrixx had five players in double digit scoring, led by Alhaji Mohammed (192-G-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Louisville) with 21 pts., including 4 three-pointers and 5 assists. Antoine Jordan (195-G-83, college: Siena) added 19, and Chris Copeland (203-F-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: Colorado) had a double-double of 18 pts. and 10 rebounds. Derek Coleman (180-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Robert Morris) and Trey McDowell (188-G-85, college: Louisiana Tech) both scored 18 each to lead Upstairs. The win leaves Matrixx only one game out of 2nd place behind West-Brabant Giants in the FEB standings, while the loss leaves Upstairs one-half game behind ZZ Leiden for the last playoff spot.

*****************************************************
HUNGARY

Kormend: still unstoppable -by Tamas Deri
Kormend eliminated NYKK with a 40 points victory and had its 9th straight win since the 20th of January in the regular season.
They were up by 6 points after the first quarter even so, that Gergely Fodor and Rudolf Trummer did not play because of injuries.
NYKK was close to tie the game in the 13th minute, but only Erno Sitku (208-C-72, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) played as expected, so in the half time Kormend was up by 10 points again.
The guests did not slow down after the half time and made a 19-0 run lead by Ed McCants in the 3rd quarter, after they lead by 30 points already.
In the last 10 minutes Branko Savic got hot and made four three pointers, but not even his shoots could help the team to get closer, so the guests won by 40 points.
Player of the game was Ed McCants, the american guard scored 32 points (9/13 2's, 4/7 3's, 2/3 FT's), had 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 fouls against and 2 assists in 34 minutes on the court.

MARSO-VAGEP-NYÍREGYHAZI KK-POLAROID-LAMI-VED-KÖRMEND 74-114
(16-22, 19-24, 13-32, 26-36)
Nyiregyhaza, Att.: 1200, Referees: Bodnar, Benczur, Csősz
NYKK: Branko Savic (181-G-79) 29/12, Buchanan 6/6, Mouton 5, Erno Sitku18/6, Helbich 10, Trepak 6, Siska, Krasznai, Coach: Deri Csaba
KORMEND: Marton Fodor (191-G-81, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 10/6, Ed McCants (193-G-82, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) 32/12, Csaba Ferencz (192-G-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 11/3, Stanley Ocitti (203-F/C-80, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Binghamton) 18/9, Vavra 9/3, Jermaine Thomas (187-G-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: La Salle) 12/6, Kocsis 8/6, Kenneth Henderson (201-F-82, college: Texas Arlington) 12, Toth 2, Molnar, Coach: Dragoljub Krivacevic

Standings - A Division
A Division Standings
1. Falco 19-4
2. Dombovar 15-7
3. Pecs 14-8
4. Atomeromu 14-8
5. Szolnok 14-8
6. Kormend 13-10
7. Nyiregyhazi 13-10
8. Albacomp 12-10
9. Univer KSE 10-12
10. Soproni 9-12
11. ZTE KK 8-14
12. MAFC 6-16
13. Bodrogi Bau 4-18
14. Kaposvari 4-18


*****************************************************
ITALY

Standings - Lega 2
Lega2 Standings
1. Carife 19-5
2. Banco Sard. 16-8
3. Pepsi 16-8
4. Trenkwalder 16-8
5. Vanoli 15-9
6. Fileni 13-11
7. Fastweb 13-11
8. Carmatic 13-11
9. Coopsette 11-13
10. TDShop.it 10-12
11. Edimes 10-14
12. Prima Veroli 10-14
13. Aget 9-15
14. Indesit 8-16
15. Agricola G. 6-18
16. Ignis 5-19


Consum.it Virtus Siena gets the italian B1 cup -by Massimo Finizio
Consum.IT Siena gets the most prestigious trophy of his history defeating Banca Nuova Trapani 88-73 in Milan's Palalido.

Siena's triumph was build from the first part of the match: infact in the first 180 seconds Siena took the lead 11-0 and few after few minutes more 20-5. The widest gap between the finalist was 23 points (49-26) 4 minutes before the halftime break.
Gianluca Tomasiello (188-G-80) was named MVP, Marco Evangelisti (196-G-84) was the match top scorer with 22 points

In semifinals Siena defeated Intertrasport Blu Basket Treviglio and Trapani crushed Paffoni Omegna

Lega2-24th Day -by Gabriele Fioretti
Ferrara gains other win of distance on the top, with a monstre-game by Andre Collins (183-G-82, college: Loyola, MD) (39 pts) defeated Soresina (three players over 20 scored). 31 by Michele Maggioli (212-C-77) led Jesi on easy vicotry on Sassari (Manuel Vanuzzo (203-F-75) at 20), while Reggio Emilia tied Sassari at the second place winning at Pavia (Omar Thomas (195-F-82, college: UTEP) Mobley (195-F-81, college: Charleston) at 24 pts). Raymond Tutt (194-G-75, agency: World Sport Agency, college: UCSB) (24 pts) led also Caserta to the second place defeating Imola (Jason Parker (188-G-81, college: Tulsa) at 14 scored). Rimini (Omar Thomas at 30) won the third game in a row against Casale (Otis George (205-C-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Louisville) 21+13). The couple Rashad Anderson (195-G/F-83, college: Connecticut)-Jermaine Boyette (188-G-78, agency: SportsTalent, college: Weber St.), with respectivily 31 and 26 pts, gave to Livorno another success on Fabriano (Luis Flores (188-G-81, college: Manhattan) at 23 scored). 27 by Shawnta Rogers (162-G-76, college: George Washington) weren't enough for Montecatini that lost at home against Veroli (Marco Rossi (183-G-81) at 22 pts). On the bottom of the standings, Novara won with five players in double figure against Pistoia (Elton Tyler (205-F/C-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) at 20 scored).
Edimes PV-Trenkwalder RE 72-76
Carife FE-Vanoli Soresina 98-92
Coopsette RN-Fastweb Casale 80-75
TDShop.it LI-Indesit Fab 88-79
Fileni Jesi-BancoSardegna 95-73
Ignis Novara-Carmatic PT 87-83
Agr.Glo.Mont.-Prima Veroli 82-83
Pepsi Caserta-Aget Imola 91-63
See complete boxscores at www.legaduebasket.it

*****************************************************
JORDAN

Market News (Updated) -by Mohammed Malas

- Zain club failed to reach a deal with Tony Madison (190-G-71, agency: China-Hoop, college: New Orleans) to replace Antonio Wyche (193-F-77, college: Notre Dame) in the team but they found another one called John III Thomas (175-G-76, college: St.Francis,NY) to play with the team until the end of the season...

Thomas was chosen as one of the best imports previousley in Germany, England, Finland and Poland, He will have his 1st chance to play in the region...

- After the signature with Rob Anderson (196-G/F-79, college: George Mason), The american center Raphael Madera (208-C-82, agency: 011 Sports, college: Delaware) will be the new addition in the roster of Al Riyadi/Aramex....

Madera is a newly graduated player from Delawere University and will play overseas for the 1st time....


- The american expericned center Torraye Braggs (203-F/C-76, college: Xavier) and Orthodox had finally agreed together to play until the end of the season adding Leroy Davis (194-F-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Georgia St.) is confirmed as the 3rd import of the team....


Braggs is a 'full of experience' player who had a big career following his history in playing in NBA (3 seasons), Venezuela, Greece, Spain, Russia, China, Philippines, Latvia, South Korea and finally in Iran this season.......While Davis played before in Mexico, Venzuela and some leagues in the US...



*****************************************************
JUCO

North Lake College triumphs in NJCAA Division III -by Eurobasket News
North Lake College clinched the NJCAA Division III title edging Joliet Junior College in the final game. North Lake College was not among the favorites before the National tournament. They were ranked 10th enjoying 14-15 overall record in the season. But they beat the odds claiming a historic victory. The Blazers first overcame Central Lakes College 62:60 in the quarterfinal. Then they toppled Hostos CC 66:59 to reach the title decider. There North Lake were opposed by the 8th-ranked Joliet Junior College. The Blazers got to an aggressive start of the game and grabbed a 15:9 lead midway through the first half. Despite all the efforts from the Wolves North Lake stayed ahead and finalized a 39:32 advantage at halftime.
The Blazers got use of their dominance under the rims to maintain the pressure on Joliet College keeping them at safe distance. But the intrigue revived when the Wolves capitalized on a couple of turnovers from the Blazers and cut the deficit to 3 points. Adam Short nailed a three-pointer then to tie the scoreline at 65. Bryant Ross and James Wilson restored a 4-point cushion for the Blazers but William Bills drilled a jumper to drag Joliet within 2. The teams exchanged free throws at the dying stage with North Lake keeping their opponents at bay. But the Wolves still had a chance to save the day as they were trailing by 3 points and had the final possession. But they Joliet College wasted it and sealed North Lake College victory. Brian Sanders was named the tournament's MVP. He paced the victors with 23 points, while Jamie Egenti added 14 points for the Blazers. Ryan Owens answered with 20 points for the Wolves. Marcus Moore dropped 16 points in defeat.
There were the tournament's awards distributed after the final game. North Lake head coach Tim McGraw was trumped the Coach of the Tournament.
All-Tournament Team comprised Kody Braddix of Central Lakes, Nathan Pratt of the North Lake, Ryan Owens from Joliet College, Kevin Womack of Middlesex CC, Edgar Martinez of Springfield Technical CC, Tariq Ugdah from Montgomery College-Germantown, Nicholas Lopez of Hostos CC and SUNY Cobleskill's Stanley Francois.

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LATVIA

LBL standings
LBL Standings
Division I
1. Barons/LMT 11-1
2. BK Ventsp. 10-2
3. Valmiera 10-8
4. ASK Riga 9-2
5. Liep.Lauvas 9-8
6. VEF Riga 9-9
7. Bum./ASK 2-15
8. Keizarmezs 1-16
Division II
1. Zemgale 25-5
2. Ventspils au. 23-6
3. ASK/Juniors 19-12
4. RNS-D/Livani 18-11
5. Jurmala 14-16
6. LU/Ridzene 13-17
7. Roja 11-19
8. Cesis/Remarks 6-24
9. Saldus 5-24


Stats Leaders
LBL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Ozols (Jurmala) 21.0
Kanbergs (VA) 19.9
Rudzitis (Bum.) 18.6
Delveris (Roja) 18.5
Mizis (LU/Ridz.) 17.6
Rebounds Per Game
Stimac (Valmiera) 11.3
Ed.Eglitis (LU/Ridz.) 8.8
Licitis (Saldus) 8.5
Alexander (Bar.) 8.1
Bucs (VA) 8.1
Assists Per Game
Slesers (Livani) 7.3
Buskevics (ASK) 4.5
Olivero (Valmiera) 4.0
Tiss (Saldus) 4.0
Raiskums (Zem.) 3.9
Steals Per Game
Slesers (Livani) 3.3
Skele (Barons) 2.8
Millage (ASK) 2.7
Blocks Per Game
J.Rozitis (ASK/Jun.) 2.6
D.Rozitis (Cesis) 2.4
Rich (Liepaja) 2.4
Ranking
Stimac (Valmiera) 21.6
Kanbergs (VA) 21.0
Alexander (Bar.) 20.2


Standings - LBAL
LBAL Standings
Austrumi 1-4
1. Valmiera-2 8-1
2. DU/Hansabanka 6-3
3. Maksis/LTI 4-5
4. Madona 0-9
Austrumi 5-7
1. Preili 4-2
2. Jekabpils 3-3
3. Ezerzeme 2-4
Centrs 1-4
1. ASK Kadeti 4-1
2. Jurmala 2 3-2
3. Keizarmezs-2 2-3
4. Ogre/Sonora 1-4
Centrs 5-8
1. Kursa/MRU 2-0
2. Turiba 2-1
3. LU 1-2
4. VIA Riga 0-2
Centrs 9-12
1. VEF Riga 1-0
2. Salacgriva 1-1
3. Ridzene 89 0-0
4. Saulkrasti 0-1
Centrs 13-16
1. I.O.S. 1-0
2. Ridzene M. 1-0
3. ASK Kadeti-2 0-1
4. 3.BJSS 0-1
Centrs 17-20
1. DSN 0-0
2. LNSF 0-0
3. Ridzene 91 0-0
Rietumi 1-4
1. Liepajas Papirs 4-3
2. Dartija 4-3
3. Kandava 3-4
4. Variants 3-4
Rietumi 5-9
1. Zemgale/Juniors 8-1
2. Perkons 7-2
3. Talsi 6-3
4. Olaine 2-7
5. Baldone 1-9


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LEBANON

Standings - Division A
Div.A Standings
1. Moutahed 10-2
2. Al Riyadi 9-0
3. Sagesse 9-3
4. Blue Stars 6-7
5. Antranik 5-8
6. Feytroun 4-8
7. Champville 4-8
8. Anibal 1-12


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LITHUANIA

Standings - LKL
LKL Standings
1. Lietuvos 15-0
2. Zalgiris 11-2
3. Siauliai 11-6
4. Alita 8-6
5. Neptunas 7-7
6. Sakalai 5-9
7. Nevezis 5-9
8. Panevezys 5-10
9. Atletas 4-11
10. Suduva 2-13


Zalgiris loses for the fifth time in Top 16 -by Eurobasket News
Maccabi - Zalgiris 80:66

Zalgiris finished their Top 16 action with a sour loss to Maccabi at the Nokia Centre in Tel-Aviv. Thus Maccabi claimed the top spot in Group F, while Zalgiris ended up at the bottom of the ladder. The hosts jumped to an 8:2 lead early in the encounter but Marcus Brown (192-G-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Murray St.) fired from beyond the arc and Paulius Jankunas (204-F-84, agency: Interperformances) converted a layup to put Zalgiris within a striking distance. Soon Zalgiris put their noses in front as DeJuan Collins (188-G-76, college: Tuskegee) and Paulius Jankunas scored jumpers. But Maccabi had the last say in the frame with Esteban Batista (208-F/C-83) and Yotam Halperin (196-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) securing a 24;20 lead for Maccabi after 10 minutes. The home side opened the second frame with a 10:0 run to clear off. Israeli outfit now took over and dominated the game. The hosts enjoyed a double-digit lead before Marcus Brown and Paulius Jankunas organized a 10:0 run from the visitors that cut the margin to 3 points. Yotam Halperin once again capped the frame with a massive trey and gave Maccabi a 42:35 lead at halftime. Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances) stepped up for Maccabi at the start of the third period as he knocked down 4 points and Batista added a layup to keep Maccabi at comfortable distance. Omri Casspi (204-F/G-88, agency: Interperformances) and Alex Garcia (191-G-80, agency: Interperformances) crafted a 60:46 lead for Maccabi after 30 minutes of action. Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) and Jonas Maciulis (200-G/F-85, agency: Interperformances) trimmed the deficit to 10 points but it was as close as Zalgiris could get. Derrick Sharp (183-G-71, college: S.Florida) drained back-to-back trebles and Maccabi never looked back. Yotam Halperin scored 17 points for Maccabi. Nikola Vujcic had 12 points, while Derrick Sharp and Terence Morris (206-F-79, college: Maryland) secured 11 points apiece in a winning case. Marcus Brown answered with 16 points for Zalgiris. Jonas Maciulis chipped in 13 points for the Lithuanian champions.
Maccabi will take on Barcelona in the best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Maccabi: Yotam Halperin 17, Nikola Vujcic 12, Derrick Sharp 11, Terence Morris 11
Zalgiris: Marcus Brown 16, Jonas Maciulis 13

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NBA

San Antonio escapes 5-game losing skid -by Eurobasket News
San Antonio were on the edge of the worst losing skid since 1996 when they headed to Chicago. But the Spurs pulled together to stay alive and overcame the Bulls 102:80 at the United Center. The Spurs lost four in a row before this one but never looked like losing one more in Chicago. Tony Parker (6'0''-G-80) scored 10 points in the second quarter and the visitors went on a 22:4 run that opened up a 20-point lead for San Antonio. Leading comfortably 86:64 after three quarters Gregg Popovic kept Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) and Tony Parker sidelined in the final stanza. Chicago however still failed to get any closer and lost their 41st game in the season. Tim Duncan secured 22 points and 10 boards to pace the defending champions. Tony Parker added 23 points, while Ime Udoka (6'5''-F/G-77, agency: Edge Sports, college: Portland St.) nailed 13 points for the winners. Luol Deng (6'7''-F-85, college: Duke) finished with 18 points and 7 boards for Chicago.
The Boston Celtics continued to prove their highest ambitions for the season. They completed their Texas tour with another impressive win. This time the Eastern conference leaders bruised Dallas 94:90. It was the third straight victory for Boston after they outscored San Antonio and Houston. The Mavs led for the major part of the game but could not capitalize and fell just short at the end. Ray Allen (6'6''-G-75, college: Connecticut) nailed a trey, while Posey and Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76) sealed the winning outcome from charity stripe in the dying seconds. Pau Pierce topscored with 22 points and season-high 13 boards for Boston. Ray Allen had 21 points, while Kevin Garnett added 20 points and 13 boards in a win. Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) responded with 22 points and 19 rebounds. Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) issued 9 assists, collected 11 rebounds but was limited to only 2 points.

Standings
NBA Standings
1. Boston C. 55-13
2. Detroit P. 49-19
3. Los Angeles L. 48-21
4. Houston R. 47-22
5. N.Orleans H. 46-21
6. Phoenix S. 46-22
7. San Antonio S. 46-23
8. Orlando M. 46-25
9. Utah J. 45-25
10. Dallas M. 44-25
11. Golden St. 42-26
12. Denver N. 41-28
13. Cleveland C. 40-30
14. Portland T.B. 36-33
15. Washington W. 35-33
16. Toronto R. 35-34
17. Philadelphia 34-35
18. Sacramento K. 31-37
19. New Jersey N. 29-40
20. Atlanta H. 28-39
21. Indiana P. 28-41
22. Chicago B. 27-41
23. Charlotte B. 24-44
24. Milwaukee B. 23-44
25. Los Angeles C. 21-47
26. New York K. 19-49
27. Minnesota T. 17-51
28. Memphis G. 17-51
29. Seattle S. 16-53
30. Miami H. 12-55


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NCAA3

NABC Announces 2008 Division III All-District Teams -by Moritz Korff

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced today the NABC Division III All-District teams and coaches, recognizing the best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes and coaches in the division. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, these student-athletes represent the finest basketball players across America. The 88 student-athletes, from eight districts, are now eligible for the State Farm Division III All-America teams, selected by the NABC.

2008 NABC DIVISION III ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS

East
First Team
Anthony Williams, SUNY Plattsburgh*
Sean Burton, Ithaca
Jonathan Onyiriuka, University of Rochester
Travis Gorham, SUNY Plattsburgh
Corey McAdam, Nazareth College
Sherod Harris, SUNY Brockport

Second Team
John Grazioli, Hobart College
Lawrence Avitabile, Vassar College
Uche Ndubizu, University of Rochester
Scott Morton, SUNY Geneseo
Brandon Williams, SUNY Brockport

Coach of the Year: Tom Curle, SUNY Plattsburgh

Middle Atlantic
First Team
Nick Shattuck, Ursinus College*
Chad McGowan, York College (PA)
Phil Stricker, DeSales University
Albert Medoro, Albright College
Josh Robinson, Susquehanna University
Dan Capkin, Gettysburg College

Second Team
Terrence Shawell, Alvernia College
Charles Jones, Widener University
John Soboleski, King's College (PA)
Rashawn Johnson, Wesley College
Corey Dorsey, Gettysburg College

Coach of the Year: Kevin Small, Ursinus College

South
First Team
Ben Strong, Guilford College*
Thomas Britt, Centre College
Jeremiah Lawrence, Shenendoah University
Jake Baldwin, Piedmont College
Tyler Winford, Mississippi College
Mardochee Jean, Hardin-Simmons University

Second Team
Edrick Montgomery, Millsaps College
Tyler Fantin, Virginia Wesleyan College
Spiros Ferderigos, Emory University
Greg Bienemann, Washington and Lee Univ.
Alex Bowers, Maryville College

Coach of the Year: Greg Mason, Centre College

West
First Team
Matt Goodwin, UW Whitewater*
Kyle White, Loras College
Jeff Skemp, UW Platteville
Dan Breyer, UW Eau Claire
Andre Wagner, Buena Vista College
Ryan Symes, Whitworth College
Tom Conboy, Macalester College

Second Team
Luke Linz, Concordia College (MN)
Connor Whitman, Occiodental College
Zach Johnson, Carleton College
Steve Hicklin, UW Stevens Point
Jason Foster, University of Puget Sound

Coach of the Year: Brian Van Haaften, Buena Vista College

Atlantic
First Team
Matt Byrnes, Rowan University*
Richard Jean-Baptiste, Brooklyn College
Jon Greene, Richard Stockton College
Dana John, New Jersey City University
David Acree, St. Joseph's, L.I.
Mario Lancioni, Richard Stockton College

Second Team
Damien Santana, Farmington State College
Abdoulaye Ouedraogo, William Paterson Univ.
Cody Moffett, Manhattanville College
Chadd Barnes, Rutgers-Newark
Waleed Farid, Stevens Inst. of Technology

Coach of the Year: Gerry Matthews, Richard Stockton College

Midwest
First Team
Kent Raymond, Wheaton College (Ill.)*
Nate Hanje, University of Chicago
Anthony Pettaway, Defiance College
Ryan Kroeger, Lawrence University
Troy Ruths, Washington University
Larry Welton, Aurora University

Second Team
Brian Fogerty, Fontbonne University
Jordan VanEss, Marian College (Wis.)
Brett Wessels, Augustana College
Brent Ruch, Elmhurst College
Marty Young, Franklin College

Coach of the Year: Jon Miller, Defiance College

Northeast
First Team
Andrew Olson, Amherst College*
Dan Holbrook, UMass Dartmouth
Antoine Coleman, WPI
Joe Coppens, Brandeis University
Fletcher Walters, Amherst College
Dylan Holmes, Salem State College

Second Team
Charles Stone, Connecticut College
Geoff Baranger, Roger Williams University
Jeremy Shannon, Emerson College
Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT
Bryan Wholey, Bates College

Coach of the Year: Tim Gilbride, Bowdoin College

Great Lakes
First Team
Marcus Vanderheide, Hope College*
James Cooper, College of Wooster
Nate Stahl, Capital University
Andrew Lemmon, Heidelberg College
Kevin Buczynski, Penn State Behrend
Dustin Rydegeair, Ohio Wesleyan University

Second Team
Brody Jackson, Bethany College
Greg Gonzalez, Carnegie Mellon University
Tyler Wolfe, Hope College
Caleb Veldhouse, Calvin College
Drew Yancey, Albion College

Coach of the Year: Mike DeWitt, Ohio Wesleyan University

*denotes Player of the Year

Courtesy of http://nabc.cstv.com


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NEW ZEALAND

Harbour Heat fires down Otago Nuggets -by Eurobasket News
Harbour - Otago 93:82

The Harbour Heat gained their third win in the NBL overcoming the Otago Nuggets at the North Shore Events Centre today. It was the 4th consecutive loss for the Nuggets, who are struggling at the start of the new season. Hayden Allen (187-G-79) and Oscar Forman (205-G/F-82) combined for impressive 50 points to pace the Heat past hapless Otago. Harbour went into the game pretty confidently and soon rolled to a double-digit lead. The hosts stayed ahead throughout the first half and registered a 51:41 advantage at the break. Harbour stepped on the gas in the third stanza as they used the absence of the Nuggets import Jay Anderson (206-F-81, college: Oregon) who got into foul trouble to run away. They outscored the visitors 23:11 and jumped to a 22-point lead. That was just enough for Harbour to feel comfortable in the final term with the starters on the bench. Otago still managed to fight bravely in the last minutes and trimmed the gap by 11 points but all in vain. Hayden Allen finished with 27 points to pace the home side. Oscar Forman added 23 points going 9/11 from the field. Mika Vukona (197-F-82) had 14 points and 10 boards for the winners. Lemar Gayle (198-F-79, college: CSU Bakersfield) answered with game-high 30 points and 14 boards for Otago. The visitors outrebounded Harbour 49:41 but shot only 35% from the field. Harbour converted 50% of field goals. Brent Charleton (194-G-82) netted 13 points in defeat.
Harbour will next take on the Waikato Pistons in Round 5. Otago will look for their initial victory against Dynamos Taranaki in Dunedin.

Harbour: Hayden Allen 27, Oscar Forman 23, Mika Vukona 14+10 boards
Otago: Lemar Gayle 30+14 boards, Brent Charleton 13

Standings Men
NBL Standings
1. Auckland 4-1
2. Waikato 3-0
3. Harbour Heat 3-1
4. Nelson 3-2
5. Wellington 2-2
6. Taranaki 2-2
7. Canterbury 1-2
8. G&H Hawks 1-2
9. Manawatu 0-3
10. Otago 0-4


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NPBL

Alexandria moves from EBA to NPBL -by Gianni Pascucci
After making waves in the 2008 edition of the Eastern Basketball Alliance, the Alexandria Avengers, a team based in Virginia under the ownership of Dominic Manuel , decided to join the National Professional Basketball League last week, playing their first game versus the New York Strikeforce. The Avengers will play their last EBA game tomorrow night, hosting the Philadelphia Power, then they will fully concentrate on the new league, given that the EBA board decided not to play the league playoffs, originally scheduled for March 29 and 30. Moving to NPBL, the Avengers kept the same team roster, led by vet Daryl Owens (6'2''-G-76, college: Nova CC), who was the leading rebounder in the EBA, and showed it immediatley to the Strikeforce, with a debuting game of 20 points and almost 20 rebounds...

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PBL

The mystery of the playoffs in a "neutral ground" -by Gianni Pascucci
We have yet told that the Premier Basketball League has been pretty successful in its inaugural season: all the teams that started the league ended their season (even if two of them needed of a direct 'help' from the PBL headquarters), and all them played a full, 20 games regular season. The PBL launched also its 'Super Scouting Showcase' that was an occasion to see all the teams and their players at the same place for professional scouts and GMs. This all is, without any doubt, very flattering for a brand new minor basketball league, and we believe that, going on in this way, the PBL could soon surpass some higher ranked leagues. The only thing we did not understand in the 2008 managing of the PBL is the concentration of the first two rounds of the Playoffs at the Attack Athletics Center in Chicago, Illinois. Some league fans, in fact, sent us e-mail in which they were lamenting to be not able to follow their team in the most important game of the season. The Arkansas Impact, for example, played all their playoff games on the road, and will play in Rochester their last league game too, the 2008 Final. We are sure that the fans who supported this team all season long would have liked to cheer their team on... This all seems very unfair for those who supported the team during the previous months. We believe that the league idea was to lower the travel expenses for the teams, but we do not understand why they did not 'calculate' the disagreeing of the team fans, who are, after all, a treasure for evey pro and semi-pro team....

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POLAND

Standings - DBE
DBE Standings
1. Turow 16-6
2. Prokom 15-7
3. Anwil 14-9
4. Slask 13-10
5. Atlas Stal 12-10
6. AZS Koszalin 12-11
7. Polpak 12-11
8. Basket 10-12
9. Kotwica 9-13
10. Energa Czarni 9-13
11. Gornik W. 9-14
12. Polpharma 8-15
13. Polonia 7-15


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PUERTO RICO

Standings - BSN
BSN Standings
Island
1. Arecibo 9-2
2. Caguas 6-4
3. Ponce 6-5
4. San German 5-6
5. Mayaguez 3-6
6. Guayama 3-8
Metro
1. Santurce 7-4
2. Guaynabo 6-4
3. Carolina 5-4
4. Bayamon 5-7
5. Fajardo 4-6
6. Humacao 3-6


Indians Surprise Crabbers -by Luis Ramirez
In what could be considered a great upset the Mayaguez Indians beat the Santurce Crabbers 85-68. The Crabbers suffered their 2nd humiliation in a row as they had just come off a thrashing by the Carolina Giants and it seems that the back to back game was tough on them. The Indians rolled out ahead as they took the 1st quarter 19-11. The Indians were also leading at the end of the 1st half 34-30. In the second half the Crabbers were already out of steam and the Indians continued to cruise for an easy win. For Mayaguez, Thomas Gardner (195-G-85, agency: Octagon, college: Missouri) scored 19 points followed by Giovanni Jimenez and Keenan Jourdon (202-F-74, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Boston Coll.) who both scored 15 points. For Santurce, Robert Traylor (204-F/C-77, college: Michigan) scored 16 points followed by Luis Rivas (200-F-80, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: W.Illinois) with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Over at Fajardo another thrashing was underway as the San German Athletics suffered their 6th loss in a row as the Fajardo Cariduros beat the Athletics 74-60. Fajardo took command of the game in the 1st quarter 16-10 and were leading by 9 at the end of the half 30-21. In the 3rd quarter the Athletics showed some life but it was not enough to overtake the Cariduros as the quarter ended 56-50. In the 4th quarter the Cariduros played a tough defense and the Athletics could not execute their offense. For Fajardo, Uka Agbai (203-F-81, college: Boston Coll.) scored 17 points followed by Javier Mojica (190-G-84, college: Cent.Conn.St.) with 13 points. For san German, Thomas Burrough scored 13 points to be the best scorer for the Athletics.

At Guaynabo the Caguas Criollos squeaked a win over the Conquistadors 82-81. It was all Ricardo Melendez (180-G-83) who with just over a minute left in the game and the Criollos trailing marked 6 points in a row to give the Criollos the win. The 1st quarter ended with the Conquistadors leading 29-23. In the 2nd quarter the Conquistadors were leading 39-30 when the Criollos went on a 16-7 rally to end the half tied at 46 points. In the 2nd half it was much the same as the first half, both team had respective rallies but it was the Criollos who had the upper hand at the end of the quarter 63-62. All this led to the very emotional 4th quarter where Melendez came thru for his team. For Caguas, Ricardo Melendez scored 25 points followed by Peter John Ramos (222-C-85) with 21 points. For Guaynabo, Carlos Escalera (190-G-79, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Missouri So.) scored 32 points in a losing cause.

In Humacao, the Grays beat the Guayama Brujos 96-79. The Grays took off in the 1st quarter 27-17 and never looked back. The half ended with the Grays leading 51-37. It was all downhill for the Brujos in the 2nd half and the Grays coasted to an easy win for their 2nd win in a row. For Humacao, Ansel Guzman scored 22 pints and almost had a triple double as he captured 9 rebounds and had 9 assists. He was followed by David Jackson and Ricky Sanchez (212-C-87) with 17 points each. For Guayama, Matt Freije (206-F-81, agency: Priority Sports, college: Vanderbilt) had 21 points followed by Rafael Perez (185-G-82, agency: Huss Sport Agency) with 14 points.

In the last game of the night, the Carolina Giants beat the Ponce Lions 103-95. The Lions were playing without their star player Joel Jones who was reported with a foot injury and the Lions were also missing Antonio Latimer who also had a Knee injury. The game started out even as the teams played to an even 30 points in the first quarter. Carolina took advantage in the 2nd quarter to lead at the half 59-48. In the 3rd quarter the Lions came back from some hustle plays from their import Garnett Thompson (207-F/C-80, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Providence) and played good defense to keep the game close as the 3rd quarter ended 74-73 in favor of the Giants. In the 4th quarter the Giants took advantage of a zone defense by the Lions and constantly bombed from the 3point line. The Lions who managed to take a 1 point lead in the 4th quarter saw their lead vanished as the Giants came back with less than 2 minutes to play to earn the win. For Carolina, Ebi Ere (195-G/F-81, college: Oklahoma) scored 22 points followed by Alejandro Carmona (194-G/F-83, agency: Next Level) with 21 points. For Ponce, Garnett Thompson scored 31 points followed by Freddie Martinez and Wilfredo Pagan (184-G-76, agency: Next Level) who both scored 19 points.

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RUSSIA

Barcelona beats CSKA to join the Top 8 stage -by Eurobasket News
Barcelona - CSKA 64:62

Russian powerhouse CSKA fell just short to Barcelona in the last round of Top 16 stage allowing the hosts to qualify for the quarterfinals. Barcelona thus improved to 3-3 record and surpassed Unicaja due to a tie-break point advantage against them. The game turned into a real basketball drama with the teams going hand in hand throughout the encounter. Alex Acker (196-G-83, college: Pepperdine) and Gianluca Basile (192-G-75) scored 6 straight points to open the game. Fran Vazquez (210-C-83) quickly added 4 more points and Barcelona grabbed a 10:0 lead at the start. Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) finally broke the scoring deadlock for CSKA with free throws but Basile immediately reacted with another trey to make it 13:2 for the hosts. Finally CSKA seemed to shake off sloppiness and began paving their way back into contest. Matjaz Smodis, Thomas Van Den Spiegel and Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) trimmed the gap 5 points. Khryapa and Trajan Langdon (192-G-76, college: Duke) scored 5 more points and CSKA climbed within a single point from Barcelona. Finally Khryapa dropped two free throws and CSKA appeared leading 16:15 after the opening frame. Ramunas Siskauskas stretched the lead as he converted a layup to open the second period. From now on the teams traded baskets and the lead changed hands for a couple of times in the quarter. Lakovic and Viktor Khryapa (204-F/G-82) exchanged trebles late in the term and CSKA secured a 33:32 advantage at halftime.
Trajan Langdon and David Andersen deepened the damage early in the third frame. But Fran Vazquez and Pepe Sanchez tied the score midway through the quarter. Later Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) scored 6 points in a row to put the hosts up by 5 points 50:45. However CSKA answered with a three-pointer from Trajan Langdon and the teams entered the fourth stanza with Barcelona leading by 2. Ramunas Siskauskas and Papaloukas retained the advantage for CSKA not long into the final term. The teams kept it close before Ersan Ilyasova (207-F-87) and Fran Vasquez carried the home side to a 60:55 distance with less than two minutes left. Trajan Langdon fired from downtown to trim the deficit and then converted a free throw to keep the visitors inches away. Basile and Ramunas Siskauskas traded buckets and then Ersan Ilyasova had his say dunking the ball with 7 seconds left for a 64:61 lead. Ramunas Siskauskas got to charity stripe and hit the first free throw. He missed the second one, while Fran Vazquez and Matjaz Smodis received double foul and CSKA remained with the ball. J.R. Holden had a chance to save the game for CSKA but his three-point attempt went off mark bringing Barcelona to the quarterfinal birth.
Jaka Lakovic scored 14 points to pace Barcelona. Gianluca Basile, Fran Vazquez and Ersan Ilyasova netted 8 points apiece for the winners. Ramunas Siskauskas and Viktor Khryapa answered with 13 points apiece for CSKA. Trajan Langdon had 12 points in defeat.
Barcelona will now face Maccabi Tel-Aviv, while CSKA will take on Olympiacos at the quarterfinal stage.

Barcelona: Jaka Lakovic 14, Gianluca Basile 8, Fran Vazquez 8, Ersan Ilyasova 8
CSKA: Ramunas Siskauskas 13, Viktor Khryapa 13

*****************************************************
SAUDI ARABIA

Brittingham signs for Al Ahli -by Ali Ahmed

Al Ahli Jeddah basketball team management agreed terms with the American Forward Sherman Brittingham (196-F-82, college: California (PA)) to play for them this season.


Can score from anywhere : when he crosses halfcourt, he's open. Can run the fast-break, drive to the hole, shoot the pick-up J. Very strong body. Great 3 point shooter. Quite complete: can rebound, pass, steal. He has also a good passing game. Great on Defense. He's a real versatile 2 who can play 3 and 1.



Awards/Achievements:
NJCAA National Championship All Tournament Team -02

*****************************************************
SEBL

Stats Leaders
SEBL Metro North Division (3 game min. as of 7/20/07) Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Casey Moore, BSL.. 28.1
Rodny Kirtz, BSL... 21.0
J.Johnson, AS...... 20.2
Ray Head, MR........ 20.0
Crtny Coleman, MO..19.5
Arthur Pie, MR........ 18.7
Joe Hamilton, BSL.. 18.2
Brandon Kelly, AS... 18.1
Chris Jones, BSL... 17.9
Gene Moss, MO.... 16.8
R. LeMelle, BSL... 16.3
Golden Ingle, BSL.. 15.8
Tony Cook, BSL.... 13.5
D. Owens, MO.... 12.8
Assists Per Game
A. Slater, BSL..... 10.1
Golden Ingle, BSL. 7.8
Brandon Kelley, AS.. 7.5
Blocks Per Game
Joe Hamilton, BSL... 4.2
2FGP
AC Ware, Ctown..... 31.1
Chris Brown, SH..... 22.1
Dee Henderson, SH. 20.3
Scott Windom, SH...19.4
Terry Albert, Ctown...19.2
Jeff Dawson, SH..... 17.0
Drew Davis, GEC... 14.2


Speedboys pelt Warriors; Devils escape Atlanta Metro College... -by David Archer
#s#
#e#6


Kelley


Hamilton


Cook


Slater


Ingle

February 15, 2008 - SEBL Results...


ATLANTA SPEEDBOYS 114 CARTERSVILLE-BASELINE WARRIORS 103...

Cartersville, Ga -- The Atlanta Speedboys came in to town with their usual propensity for hot-headed attitudes, but also came in on a roll, after winning 5 of their last six including a couple of upsets in the College Park Pro Am.

Atlanta came out real strong against a roster depleted and small Baseline squad on this Sunday afternoon. Baseline hung close for the first portion of the game, before Jamal Johnson and Brandon Kelley (5'11''-G-84) paced Atlanta's offense with several treys and penetration drives. Tempers reared their ugly heads as Johnson was tossed from the game, and the already puny Warriors' roster saw Joe Hamilton (6'6''-F-79) and Chris Jones both get ejected. Ronald Lewis (6'0''-G) came off the bench to drill five three-pointers for the Speedboys, as Baseline's lackluster defense provided virtually no defensive effort. The inclusion of Lewis' perimeter shooting helped the Speedboys pull out to a whopping 71-56 lead going into the break.

Baseline managed to make a game of it, battling back to trim the score to 96-93 on a Antonio Cook (6'6''-G/F-80) trey with 4:50 remaining in the game. But, Shawn Cox (5'7''-G-82) of Atlanta Vision and DeCourney McGowan took control down the stretch with Cox getting several transition baskets and McGowan drilling clutch mid-range jumpers, to push Atlanta's lead back out to double-digits. Cox also went 5 of 7 at the line in the closing minutes to ice the win for the Speedboys.

Despite the loss, Baseline got balanced scoring as all seven dressed players reached double figures. Anthony Slater (5'9''-G-79) had 18 points and 12 assists, while Cook had 16, Jones 15. Adrien Borders and Golden Ingle (5'11''-G-81) each netted 14, as Wayne Arnold chipped in 13 and Hamilton finished with 11 in his limited minutes. Baseline played with out leading scorer Casey Moore, who was out with a back contusion, Rodney Kirtz, Rod Ashmore, and Bobby Rouse.

The Speedboys got 26 from Kelley, while Lewis wound up with 24, McGowan 18, Cox 16, Johnson 16, Keith Payne nine and Romell Wright seven.


Summer Hill Post Grad Blue Devils 85 Atlanta Metro College 84...
Cartersville, Ga -- The Summer Hill Blue Devils escaped with an 85-84 win, after staving off a wild rally by the Panthers of Atlanta Metrotropolitan College Friday evening at JH Morgan Gym.

After trading buckets early in the contest, Summer Hill worked out to as much as a nine-point lead at 35-26, before taking a satisfying 49-43 lead into the half-time. Mike Reynolds and Scott Windom led a balanced attack with 10 each, while Chris Brown and DeMarlow Simmons combined for a dozen in the first half.

Summer Hill came out really strong in the second half, forcing Atlanta Metro into tough shots and limiting the middle part of the court. The Devils built a seemingly comfortable 81-62 lead with 7-minutes left when the offense began to stifle, going scoreless for three minutes. AMC wasn't capitalizing at first, but suddenly scored seven straight off Devil turnovers in a 20 second span. Then, after a shooting foul, Summer Hill's Windom was tagged with consecutive technical fouls. AMC took advantage, hitting all six freethrows, then promptly stuck a trey once awarded the ball. In only five ticks of the clock, AMC netted nine points. They scored on another Summer Hill turnover and capped an amazing 18-0 run in under a minute, cutting the Devils lead to 81-79. After a couple of Summer Hill freethrows, AMC got back to with in one, at 85-84, on a lay-in by Patrick Shopeka with 22 seconds left. Summer Hill's Mike Reynolds was fouled and missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity with 5.9 seconds on the clock. AMC inbounded and got the ball to half-court, where they called time-out with 2.6 seconds remaining. They inbounded and Jarquis Stevenson dribbled left to the top of the key, launching a shot from just inside the three-point line at the buzzer. The ball caromed off the right side of the rim, allowing Summer Hill to escape with the one point win.

Jeff Moon had 19 for Atlanta Metro (8-15), while David Brown and Keyshore Williams each got 17, Rodney Washington 14, Stevenson 12, Shopeka three and Michale Hughes two. For Summer Hill, Windom finished with 19 pts, 12 boards and two blocks. Chris Jones finished with 17, while Brandon Harris hit 13, Reynolds 12, Simmons 10, Brown nine, Marcus Henderson three and Stuart Mitchell two.

The Devils (17-4) will host Gordon College Sunday at 2:30pm at JH Morgan Gym in Cartervilles, before turning around at travelling to Gordon on Thursday night in a 7:00pm tipoff on the Barnesville (GA) Campus. Summer Hill will be on the road again next Saturday when they have a re-match against Atlanta Metro in Atlanta, before returning home to take on Smyrna.



Blue Devils beat Gordon College, 88-79, in OT; Baseline gets by Macon... -by David Archer

February 17, 2008 - SEBL Results

Summer Hill out-scored Gordon College 14-5 in overtime to win 88-79...
The Blue Devils got off to a very stale start, as the Highlanders' persistent full-court press forced miss after miss. Gordon jumped out to a 6-0 lead and built a 14-4 lead in the early minutes of the game. However, the Devils began getting the ball to the middle, where Scott Windom nailed several mid-range jumpers. Kevin Green also came off the bench to provide several nifty jumpers, including a three pointer to help the Devils get to with in one by the half. Though Summer Hill still trailed 36-35, the momentum seemed to have turned.

In the second half, Summer Hill and Gordon traded baskets for several minutes. The Devils Mike Reynolds got hot for consecutive treys, allowing Summer Hill to build an eight-point spread. Later, the Devils led by as many as 13 and seemed to be in control. Up 69-59, after a Dee Henderson basket and And-1 with 3:22 left, Summer Hill took a couple of ill-advised shots and Gordon quickly capitalized. Sharp got free for a lay-in, followed by a Ajayi trey, to cut it 69-64.

Then, McGee forced a Devil turnover and scored to make it 69-66 with only 2:01 remaining. The Devils took an untimely three-point attempt which turned into a another trey in the corner for Ajayi, knotting the score. On the ensuing possession, Brandon Harris hit a huge shot in the lane, drawing a foul. He hit the freethrow, putting the Devils up 72-69. Gordon missed, then fouled Chris Jones going to the basket with :57 seconds left. He made only the second attempt, but gave Summer Hill a four-point lead. McGee slipped under the defense for another quick lay-in and Gordon was down only 73-71. Mike Reynolds missed another three attempt in the corner and Gordon raced back.

Bailey was fouled going to the basket. He hit one and missed the other. Gordon's Ajayi pulled the offensive board and went back up for two in the lane, putting Gordon up 74-73 with 22 seconds on the clock. Summer Hill got the ball up the floor and worked the ball around, then put the ball in Chris Jones' hands, who drove to the basket on the right side. He was fouled hard, while missing the attempt with 3.1 ticks left. He sank the first shot to re-knot the score at 74. After a Gordon time out to ice Jones, he missed the second attempt. Gordon rebounded and called a timeout with 2.6 showing. On the inbounds, Gordon didn't get a clean look at the basket, missed the shot, sending the game to OT.

In the OT, after a Gordon miss, Henderson drove the baseline for a reverse lay-up to put SH up 76-74. Then, Gordon found Ajayi deep in the corner for yet another trey, putting Gordon back up by one, 77-76. Then, Brandon Harris drew a foul, sank both freethrows and put the Devils back up by one. with 2:30 left in OT.

Gordon went back up, 79-78, after Moyston went to the line and sank both. After both teams missed, Summer Hill got a transition bucket from Green. Gordon could not answer on a McGee trey attempt and two subsequent offensive boards and misses.

Summer Hill's Jones then drove the right side again and sank the shot while drawing another foul with 1:13 left. He put the Devils up 83-79 when he hit the freethrow. Gordon again could not find the basket on several put-back attempts.

Green drove the dagger when he took a pass from Henderson on the wing and nailed a three-pointer, increasing the Blue Devils lead to 86-79. Gordon's well ran dry and after another miss, Henderson got another lay-in to put put the icing on the victory for Summer Hill.

Mykal McGee led Gordon College with 21 points, while Ajayi had 18 and C. Jones 10.

For Summer Hill, Chris Jones finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Mike Reynolds sank 19. Kevin Green came off the bench, and in his first extended action provided 15 points and five assists. Scott Windom had 14 points and nine boards, while Brandon Harris got 10 points. Dee Henderson came off the bench to provide a spark late, scoring eight points, while Chris Brown rounded out the scoring with a bucket.

The Devils, who now sit at 18-4 on the season, will travel to Gordon College on Thursday to take on the Highlanders on the Barnesville (GA) Campus.

CARTERSVILLE BASELINE WARRIORS 105 MACON RAIDERS 87...
Cartersville, Ga -- The Warriors got back on the winning track with a solid 105-87 win over the Macon Raiders on Sunday afternoon at JH Morgan Gym. Casey Moore came back from a back injury to spark the Warriors with 20 of his 24 total in the first half. Joe Hamilton also had 12 in the opening half to pace Baseline to a 53-44 lead at the mid-way point. Antwan Bratty and Arthur Pie each had 11 in the first half for Macon.

Baseline kept its comfortable lead through out the second half, as Golden Ingle and Rod Ashmore (6'5''-F/G-79) picked up the scoring efforts, combining for 26 points. Davion Zellnor scored 10 down the stretch to keep Macon competitive.


Bratty and Zellnor finished with 19 and 17, respectively, for the Raiders, while Pie had 15, Lorin Lewis and Marquis Fleming 11 each. Ray Head also had 10 and Juaquan O'nea two.

For Baseline, Moore and Ingle finished with 24 and 23 points, respectively, as Hamilton got 21, Ashmore 13, Chris Jones eight and Anthony Slater 6 points and 10 assists.


Summer Hill B-Team 119 Smyrna Knicks 79...

Cartersville, GA -- The Knicks came out strong leading by as many as 10 early in the game, before SH settled down and began clicking behind the offense of Dee Henderson and Kevin Green, who combined for 30 first half points. Rico James had 17 first half points for the Knicks, as Summer Hill took a 54-44 lead into the break. Summer Hill exploded for 65 points in the second half, while holding the Knicks to 35.


James led Smyrna with 21, while Terry Albert had 18, Byron Hall 12. For Summer Hill B-Team, Dee Henderson streaked his way to a career high 33 points, while Chris Brown had 22, Scott Windom and Green 17 each, Brandon Davis 15, Jeff Dawson 8 and Dusten Glenn 7.



Summer Hill whips Smyrna, Baseline out-lasts Cedartown... -by David Archer
#s#
#e#6


Ingle


Hamilton


Jones


Slater


February 24, 2008 - SEBL Results...

Summer Hill Blue Devils Post Grad 114 Smyrna Knicks 59...
Cartersville, Ga -- The Summer Hill Blue Devils Post Grad team snapped a two-game losing streak with a resounding 114-59 trouncing of the Smyrna Knicks on Sunday afternoon.

From the opening tip, the Devils jumped on the Knicks, as balanced team scoring fueled a 52-24 lead going into the half. Mike Reynolds had 14 first half point to lead the Devils, while Bryon Henderson had 12 in the first half for the Knicks.In the second, the Blue Devils pushed the pedal a little harder, outscoring Smyrna 62-37. Reynolds hit 19 more points in the half and Jeff Dawson also contribute all of his 12 points down the stretch.

For the Knicks, Byron Hall finished with 20 points, while Henderson got 18 and O'Brian Wilkins had 17. For the Devils, Reynolds pumped in 33, Scott Windom 14, Chris Jones (6'6''-F-82), Dee Henderson and Dawson 12 each, Chris Brown 11, DeMarlow Simmons nine, Stuart Mitchell seven and Brandon Harris four.

Cartersville-Baseline Warriors 127 Cedartown-A 101...
Cartersville, Ga -- The Warriors out-raced a game Cedartown-A squad on Sunday afternoon at JH Morgan Gym to claim a high-scoring 127-101.

Cedartown-A knowingly coming in as a huge underdog were up to the challenge and from the out-set used their energy to keep Baseline on their heels. Baseline led by double digits early, behind the quick scoring of Casey Moore (6'5''-G/F) and Golden Ingle (5'11''-G-81), as they combined for four treys. But, Cedartown-A began to fight back with their quickness, scoring transition buckets. Brandon Brown and AC Ware led a run that saw Cedartown fight back to trail by only six. Rodney Kirtz entered the game for Baseline, scored 16 points in leading a huge spurt to close the half. Cedartown seemed to have had their backs broken, going into the break down 64-43. Baseline pushed its lead out 30 (76-46) with a 12-3 run to start the half. Chris Jones and Joe Hamilton (6'6''-F-79) combined for eight in the run. But, not to give up, Cedartown began to push back, as Chris Careathers single-handedly scored 10 consectutive points. Najee Smith followed suit and C-town went on a 25-5 run, to close to within 82-71 with 10:55 remaining. Baseline would answer the run, as Casey Moore got heated up again, along with Hamilton and Jones converting on nifty passes from Bayete Gordon (5'9''-G) and Anthony Slater (5'9''-G-79). Baseline would re-build its lead, thwarting the upstart Cedartown team.

Careathers and Brandon Brown led Ceddartown-A with 25 points, aas Smith got 18, Ware 13 and James Smith nine. For Baseline, Moore finished with 30, as Jones had 21, Kirtz 19, Ingle 18, Hamilton 17, Gordon nine and Slater six.

Cedartown-B 94 Summer Hill-B 92...
Cartersville, Ga -- AC Ware downed a runner in the lane at the buzzer to give Cedartown-B a 94-92 win over SH-B on Sunday night at JH Morgan Gym. The teams traded leads all night in a tightly contested game. Summer Hill-B led 53-49 at the half. Scott Windom netted 28 for Summer Hill, while Dee Henderson had 26, Jeff Dawson 17, Chris Brown 14 and Dusten Glenn five. For Cedartown-B, Ware had 26, Brandon Brown 12, Deon Smith 11, LaCurtis Diamond and Nagee Smith 10 each and Adrian Diamond eight.

Devils blast Cedartown, Warriors wrap up SEBL Independent Title... -by David Archer
#s#
#e#6


Rouse


Ashmore


Hamilton


Henderson


Jones
March 2, 2008 - SEBL Results...

Summer Hill Blue Devils Post Grad 102 Cedartown-B 65...
Cartersville, Ga -- Mike Reynolds downed 35, as the Blue Devils closed the season out with a bang after a 102-65 drubbing of Cedartown on Sunday afternoon at JH Morgan Gym.

Summer Hill pulled broke open a close game mid-way through the first half, behind the scoring of Mike Reynolds and Chris Jones (6'6''-F-82), building a 55-39 lead at the break. The Devil-duo combined for 46 of their point total. Nagee Smith tallied 13 first-half points for Cedartown to keep things relatively close. The Devils ran away in the second half as C-town didn't put up much fight. Jeff Dawson helped do some damage for SH in the second, as he took care of the scoring in the paint.

Smith led Cedartown with 18, while AC Ware had 15 and James Smith 11. For Summer Hill, Reynolds closed a stellar season with 35 points, Jones had 24, Dawson 13, Brandon Harris 10, Marcus Henderson seven, DeMarlow Simmons six, Dee Henderson five and Chris Brown two.
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Cartersville-Baseline Warriors 105 Macon Raiders 94...
Cartersville, Ga -- The Warriors wrapped up the SEBL Independent Regular Season Pro Division Championship on Sunday afternoon with a come from behind win over Macon. The win also completed the season sweep against Raiders. But, it was not easy, as the Raiders led for much of the game.

Ray Head was on fire in the opening minutes of the game, as Macon built as much as a 14 point lead. Head drained four threes and Larry Johnson and Joaquon O'neal both hit two treys each, to keep Baseline fighting from behind. Baseline leveled off and began chipping away at the Macon lead. Chris Jones scored 17 first half points and Rod Ashmore (6'5''-F/G-79) gave 12 points off the bench in the first half, as the Warriors went into the half still down 53-49.

Macon re-found its groove early in the second half, as Baseline came out cold. The Raiders moved out to its biggest lead of the game at 72-56 on a Lorin Lewis jumper. Suddenly, the Warriors woke up after a Casey Moore (6'5''-G/F) tri-fecta. Rod Ashmore scored eight straight and Baseline was off to a 19-0 run. Baseline retook the lead at 75-72 on another three-pointer by Moore. O'neal finally answered with a bucket for Macon but the tide had changed directions. Baseline got another bucket and triple from Ashmore, followed by a three by Joe Hamilton (6'6''-F-79). Macon was down 85-74. From there, the Warriors spread the floor looking for lay-ins. As Macon was forced to foul in the waning minutes, Baseline combined to go 6 of 7 from the freethrow line.

Head finished with 20 on the night, but was held to four in the second half, while Zellner had 18, Lewis 13 and O'neal 11. For the Warriors, Moore chalked up another cool 35 point effort, while Jones and Ashmore each hit 25. Hamilton got 10, Bayete Gordon (5'9''-G) four and Bobby Rouse (6'5''-G/F-76).
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Summer Hill-B 117 Smyrna Knicks 89...
Cartersville, Ga -- The Summer Hill B-team fought off a great shooting night by the Knicks, to pull away in the second half for a 117-89 win on Sunday afternoon at JH Morgan Gym.

The Knicks combined for nine first half three pointers, but SH countered with transition buckets from Dee Henderson and inside baskets by Jeff Dawson. Summer Hill's Chris Nichols also got in the triple act with two three pointers. SH lead 57-43 at the half.

The same trend continued in the second half, as the Knicks launched long bombs and the Blue Devils B-squad either raced to the basket or dumped the ball in to Dawson. As the Knicks began to tire, SH-B began to stretch its lead and cruised to victory.

Byron Hall hit 7 treys on his way to 31 points, while Dominique Richards hit 30, Terry Richards 15 and Mykal Jackson 10 for the Knicks. For Summer Hill-B, Dawson powered in 32 points and pulled 22 rebounds, while Henderson downed 29, Chris Brown 27, Dustin Glenn 16, Kyle Ready 12 and Nichols six.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ware Prep Raiders 121 Cedartown-A 117...
Cedartown, Ga -- Ware Prep fought back from several large deficits to finally break Cedartown's spirit to claim a 121-117 win on Sunday night.

Cedartown led by as many 14 in the first half, but Ware fought back to knot the score at 58-all by the mid-point. Again in the second half, Cedartown re-built its lead only to see it evaporate at the hands of J.Jackson, who was virtually unstoppable going to the basket. AC Ware and Nagee Smith did all they could to counter offensively, combining for 34 second half points. But, it was not enough. Z.Moore and R.Blossengame got in the high-scoring act down the stretch to give Ware more offensive punch. Cedartown's AC Ware and Nick Diamond both exploded emotionally in the closing minutes of a close game and were ejected from the game and the gym. Cedartown's lost its composure and the game in the end.

Ware's conduct soured a solid 29-point scoring effort for Cedartown. Smith finished with 27, Brandon Brown 15, Chris Careathers 14 and Diamond 10. For Ware, Jackson finished with 47, Moore 25, Blossengame 18, B.Collier 11 and D.Williams 10.

Note: Ware and Diamond have been suspended from SEBL participation for a one-year duration.

Summer Hill falters at Gordon, drops 74-71 decision... -by David Archer

February 21, 2008 - SEBL results...

GORDON COLLEGE HIGLANDERS 74 SUMMER HILL POST GRAD BLUE DEVILS 71, ...
Barnesville, Ga -- It's always tough to beat any team three times, much less a comparable opponent. Summer Hill found out just how tough it is on the road on Thursday night at Gordon College. After coming from behind two times to beat Gordon College at home, the Highlanders flipped the script and handled the Blue Devils in front of their own raucus home crowd.

The Devils jumped out early, leading by as many as 10 behind the work of Chris Jones and Scott Windom. But, Gordon fought back and took the momentum, as Mykal McGee began finding the bucket. Summer Hill's scoring went dry and Gordon took a slim 34-32 lead into the break.

In the second half, the Devils came out re-newed and scored seven straight to build a five point lead. Gordon answered, and the two teams battled it out. Summer Hill maintained its lead most of the half and even stretched its lead out to eight at one point. However, Gordon's McGhee and Ajayi took over in the closing minutes. McGhee coming up with several big buckets, including a huge three to put his team back up by two, followed by two follow up dunks by Ajayi. Summer Hill had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but Mike Reynolds' desparation three was off the mark.


Summer Hill was led by Jones with 27 points, while Reynolds had 17, Marlow Simmons 11 and Windom seven. For Gordon, McGhee finished with 29, Ajayi 10, Elston nine and Aaron Tribbey seven.


Gordon ended its season with a big win, while Summer Hill saw its 17-game win streak snapped and will now go on the road again to face Atlanta Metro College.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 23, 2008 - SEBL Results...


Atlanta Metro College 82 Summer Hill Blue Devils Post Grad 64...

Atlanta, Ga -- Last week the Blue Devils built a large lead before fighting off a furious rally by AMC. This time around, the Panthers led from buzzer to buzzer, as the Devils struggled to score the ball all night, falling 82-64 Saturday night in Atlanta.


Summer Hill was competitive for most of the first half. AMC maintained a slim lead behind the scoring of Shapoka and Steverson, who combined for 23 points. Chris Jones and Mike Reynolds combined for 16 for Summer Hill, who shot a dismal 9 of 30 from the field as a team. Metro closed the half on a 6-0 run to go in up 39-29.


The Devils closed to within six early in the second half, but the Panthers forced several turnovers and went on a 16-4 spurt to build an 18 point spread. Summer Hill got back to with in 10 on two occasions, but didn't have enough fight to really challenge the more active Panthers, who rode to an impressive win.


Mike Reynolds led SH with 15 points on 6 of 19 shooting, while Jones finished with 11, Windom 10, Brandon Harris eight and Marcus Henderson seven. Chris Brown served out a one-game suspension for the Blue Devils on this night. For Metro, J. Steverson had 27 points, Shopaka 15, R. Washington 11 and D.Brown nine.


The loss dropped Summer Hill to 18-6 on the season, as they move on to host the Smyrna Knicks on Sunday.




SEBL well represented in Georgia State Men's Open Championships... -by David Archer
March 3, 2008 - SEBL Results...

Dalton, Ga -- The Marietta Outlaw, an SEBL Independent member, who advanced to the District 5 Mens Open Championship in Dalton, GA, by virtue of capturing the Smyrna Pro Am Title, faired very well. The Outlaw won a string of games to take the District Championship. They defeated Catoosa 81-75 in the Title Game. Marietta will now move on to the Georgia State Men's Open Championship to be held in Statesboro, Ga on March 7-9.

Villa Rica, Ga -- The Atlanta Speedboys, an SEBL Independent member, who advanced to the District 4 Mens Open Championship in Villa Rica by virtue of coming in second in the College Park Pro Am, also faired well and advanced to the Georgia State Men's Open Championships in Statesboro on March 7-9.

Atlanta, Ga -- The Jonesboro South Orange Crush squad, a long-time member of the SEBL, captured the College Park Pro Am Title, but also received an automatic bye to the Georgia State Men's Open Championships in Statesboro by virtue of being the 3-time defending Champs (2005-7).

Speedboys pull off improbable run, claim Georgia Men's Open Title... -by David Archer

March 9, 2008 - Statesboro, Ga -- The Atlanta Speedboys put together a great run at the Georgia Men's Open State Championships this weekend. They battled through the field, reaching the Title Game on Sunday where they were matched up with fellow SEBL and College Park Pro Am member and long-time rival, Jonesboro South (Orange Crush). The Speedboys were able to come up with a mammoth team performance, beating Jonesboro 73-60 to take the 2008 State Championship.

Quarter-Finals: Atlanta Speedboys 85 Statesboro 59...
March 7, 2008 - -Statesboro came into the game with a 17-0 record overall on the season. But, that posed no threat to the Speedboys, as they dismantled Stateboro with force. The Speedboys worked out to a 38-26 lead by the half and simply built on that in the second half.


Keith Payne (6'4''-F) led the Speedboys with 17 points, while Brandon Kelley (5'11''-G-84, college: Clayton St.) had 14 points and six assists, Charles Williams (6'10''-C) had 12 points, as did DeCourney McGowan (6'7''-F, college: Albany St.) and Ronald Lewis (6'0''-G).


The Speedboys advanced to the semis to take on Effingham County.

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Final Four: Atlanta Speedboys 60 Effingham County 57...

March 8, 2008 -- Atlanta was behind from the opening tip, trailed 33-25 at the break. The were behind by 11 with only 2:45 left in the game when things started to turn their way. With their backs to the wall, they put the ball in the hands of Charles Williams in the paint, who converted back-to-back and-1's to get to with in Five with 1:59 left. Ronald Lewis got a steal and scored to put the Speedboys down by only three with 1:21 left on the clock. After a foul, Effingham missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity at the freethrow line. Ron Lewis then nailed a trey bomb to knot the score at 57-all.


The Speedboys had never led in the game, but after a Effingham falter on the ensuing possession, Atlanta took the ball out and got the ball to Brandon Kelley who nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer for the win.


The Speedboys advanced to the Title Game, where they discovered they were to be matched up against who else, but Jonesboro South -- their ultimate rivals. Jonesboro had made its way, in typical fashion, through the other side of the bracket to the Championship Game.

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Championship Game: Atlanta Speedboys 73 Jonesboro South 60...

March 9, 2008 -- If any team at the State Open Tournament knew how to play the 3-time Defending Champs, it would be the Atlanta Speedboys. They two teams have matched up countless times over the last several years. The teams split regular season games this season, then faced off in the College Park Finals. South won that game, but Atlanta had other ideas when the 'chips' were down for the State Title.


Jonesboro had the upper hand in the first half, holding a 35-28 lead at the half. In the second half though, the Speedboys turned the tables and dominated, out-rebounding and out-scoring South. Atlanta's defense stepped up and held Jonesboro to only 22 points total in the second half, and only nine in the all-decisive fourth quarter. The Speedboys 45 second half points was too much for Jonesboro to recover from in the end.


DeJuan Clark (6'2''-G-77, college: Tougaloo) and Xavier Morton (6'9''-F/C-80) each had 15 points to lead Jonesboro. For the Speedboys, Brandon Kelley had 16 points and 7 assists, DeCourney McGowan had 10 points and 3 blocks. But, the high-point man for the Speedboys for the game was former Georgia Tech star Martice Moore (6'8''-F), who downed 26 points and pulled 11 boards.


Congratulations to the Atlanta Speedboys and Jonesboro. But, rest assure this will not be the last of the epic battles between these two rivals!



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SERBIA

Partizan Igkoea signed professional contract with young Bogdan Riznic -by Dragan Jankovski
After unforgettable victory over Panathinaikos on Wednesday, Partizan Igokea keeps looking in the future as they signed contract with their most talented player of junior team shooting guard Bogdan Riznic (198-G/F-90). It is the first Riznic's professional contract in his career. Head coach Vujosevic gave him a chance 7 times in Adriatic league this season which young prospect exploited.

Riznic, who with Serbian U16 National Team won the bronze medal on European Championships 2006 in Spain, will wear the black and white jersey until the end of the season 2011/2012.

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SOUTH KOREA

Standings
KBL Standings
1. Dongbu 37-16
2. KCC 33-19
3. Samsung 31-21
4. KT&G 30-22
5. LG 29-24
6. SK 28-25
7. ET 28-25
8. KTF 23-30
9. Mobis 13-39
10. Orions 11-42


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SPAIN

Standings - LEB Silver / Bronze
LEB Standings
Silver
1. Axarquia 20-5
2. Illescas 19-6
3. Almeria 18-7
4. Vic 18-7
5. Gijon 17-8
6. Caja Rioja 17-8
7. Plasencia 15-10
8. Caceres 14-11
9. Huesca 12-13
10. CB Tarrag. 12-13
11. Basq.Muro 11-14
12. Cornella 9-16
13. Qalat Caja Sol 9-16
14. Ourense 8-17
15. Prat 8-17
16. Palencia 7-18
17. Sabadell 6-19
18. Santa Pola 5-20
Bronze
1. Vigo 18-5
2. Archena 17-7
3. Guadalajara 16-7
4. Jerez 15-9
5. Torrealta 15-9
6. Navarra 13-10
7. Coruna 12-10
8. Cajasur 12-11
9. Real M. II 12-12
10. Salsa Musas 12-12
11. Esplugues-P. 9-14
12. Merida 9-14
13. Obila 9-15
14. Badajoz 8-15
15. Opel Jovent 8-16
16. ADT Tarrag. 7-16
17. Tijola 7-17
18. Torrevieja 0-0


Week 25: Brandon Wolfram MVP LEB Silver and Brett Beeson MVP LEB Bronze -by Daniel Fernandez

Brandon Brandon Wolfram (207-F/C-79, college: UTEP) (Farho Gijon) was the MVP in the 25th round in the Adecco LEB Silver with 38 of efficiency. He scores 31 points and grabs 10 rebounds. Clinicas Rincon Axarquia leads the LEB Silver with 20 wins and 5 loses.
One more time, Brett Beeson (193-G-72, college: Minnesota St. Univ.) (Balneario Archena) was the MVP in the LEB Bronze with 38 of efficiency. He scores 31 points and grabs 10 rebounds. Gestiberica Vigo leads the LEB Bronze with 18 wins and 5 loses.

Week 25: LEB Silver TOP 5 by Efficiency:

Brandon Wolfram (207-F/C-79) (Gijon): 38 (31pt + 10rb)

Duane Virgil (205-F/C-74) (CB Illescas): 37 (30pt + 5rb)

Tyray Pearson (201-F-80) (Almeria): 31 (19pt + 17rb)

Paulo Prestes (210-C-88) (Axarquia): 31 (21pt + 9rb)

Jesus Castro (190-G-83) (Almeria): 30 (30pt + 4as)

Week 25: LEB Bronze TOP 5 by Efficiency:

Brett Beeson (193-G-72) (Archena): 38 (31pt + 10rb)

Bruno Gelsi (188-G-76) (Cajasur): 32 (24pt + 6rb)

David Vinas (192-G-82) (ADT Tarragona): 30 (23pt + 5as)

Juan Navalon (191-G-75) (Alaior Jovent): 28 (23pt + 7rb)

Fred Hooks (198-F-82) (Torrealta Molina): 28 (18pt + 17rb)



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U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

Cumberland loses opening round game -by David Edole
Oklahoma City University rolled to an 81-64 victory against Cumberland University (Tenn.) Thursday in the opening round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

The No. 7-seeded Stars shot 57.4 percent from the field in opening defense of their 2007 national championship. Oklahoma City improves to 27-7 overall and will meet either California Baptist University or Xavier University (La.) in a second-round game Friday at 9:45 p.m. CST.

Ollie Bailey scored a team-high 20 points for Oklahoma City, 12 of which came in the first half when the Stars built a 36-24 halftime lead. Willie Irick chipped in with 17 points and six rebounds, while Richard Jackson scored 12 points in a reserve role. Kameron Grey enjoyed a solid all-around game for the Stars with game-high totals of eight assists and four steals to go along with 10 points.

Oklahoma City opened the contest on a 12-2 run before an 8-2 run by Cumberland cut the margin to 14-10. The Stars' biggest lead came with its 12-point halftime advantage as Jason Arbet hit a shot just before the buzzer sounded. Oklahoma City took control early in the second half thanks to a 15-3 outburst that pushed the lead to 51-27. The Stars' largest lead of the contest came with Arbet hit a three-pointer with 12:01 to play, extending the margin to 61-33.

DeCorey Young topped the scoring list for Cumberland with 16 points. Jason Langellier (194-G) came off the bench to score 13 points, while Rontreal Braxton posted 12 points. Rodney James pulled down nine rebounds for the Bulldogs, who close the year with a record of 21-12.

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VENEZUELA

LPB Transactions and News -by Francisco Vega

This is an updated list of the lates LPB 2008 Transactions and News during the first part of Week 2. A few of the organizations are trying out new imported players or have added Venezuelan players to cover for injuries and lack of depth. Americans Aaron Harper (201-G-81) and Michael Byars-Dawson (183-G-78) were tested by the LPB and turned out positive for forbidden substances and inmediately released.


The LPB's Executive President, Rolando Urdaneta, issued an official statement in which he expressed his concern about the cases. 'We energically condemn this situation. It's a behavior that we won't tolerate and we'll inmediately apply sanctions', he said.


'In the LPB we work for a clean sport environment that promotes positive values, and that's why we arranged an alliance with the National Antidoping Comission, a group of people we want to thank for their high level of professionalism. We're going to intensify this work of antidoping control and we'll demmand more and more rigurosity to the teams in terms of medical examinations that they perform on their players', he added.


TRANSACTIONS


GUAROS DE LARA
-Added Walt Waters (211-C-84) and Uruguayan Fernando Martinez (170-G-79) to the roster. They already played their first match on Wednesday. Antric Klaiber (208-F/C-76) and Chad Barnes (191-G) have not been released yet so they continue to be in the roster

COCODRILOS DE CARACAS
-Released Bahamian Aaron Eneas (202-F-78) and signed Jamaican Ricky Johns (190-G-85)

TROTAMUNDOS DE CARABOBO
-Released Aaron Harper due to the fact that the league tested him and he was positive for Marihuana in his blood system
-Signed Mark Alan Bortz (208-F/C-82) as his replacement

GUAIQUERIES DE MARGARITA
-Signed Dominican Jorge Almanzar (193-G/F-76) as the replacement of Colombian Norbey Aragon (193-G/F-78)
GAITEROS DEL ZULIA
-Released Michael Byars-Dawson due to the fact that the league tested him and he was positive for Marihuana in his blood system
-Signed Ray Castillo (196-G/F-82) as his replacement
-Signed Uruguayan Diego Pereyra (184-G-85)

-Signed Venezuelan Jose Angel Hernandez (206-C-76)

DEPORTIVO TACHIRA
-Released Dainmon Gonner (198-F-80)

MARINOS DE ANZOATEGUI
-Signed Nat Burton (190-G-77) as the temporary replacement of injured Kenny Lowe (191-G-80)

-Signed Venezuelan Adan Reyes (183-G-83), former player of Gaiteros

GIGANTES DE GUAYANA
-Released Jamaican Noelly Walters



Standings - LPB
LPB Standings
1. Trotamundos 7-1
2. Gatos 7-2
3. Cocodrilos 5-3
4. Guaiqueries 5-4
5. Gaiteros 4-4
6. Marinos 3-4
7. Panteras 3-6
8. Guaros 3-6
9. Dep.Tachira 2-4
10. Gigantes 1-6




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Women News

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ADRIATIC L. (W) - Women

Jolly Sibenik and Gospic will play in the Final -by Eurobasket News
It will be all Croatian final in the Adriatic League this season. Sibenik and Gospic successfully dealt with the opponents in the semifinals to advance to the title decider.
Gospic took on Montenegrin powerhouse Buducnost in the first semifinal yesterday. The game quite unexpectedly turned into a one-sided traffic as Croatian outfit dominated right from the start. They opened up a double-digit lead before the halftime. They situation never changed after the break as Gospic enjoyed an 18-point cushion at times. Finally Gospic secured a 75:60 victory to book their place in the final. E Mandir topscored with 23 points for Gospic. Marina Mazic (190-C-80) had 10 points, while Adriana Pinto (170-G-78) added 8 for the winners. Iva Perovanovic (190-C/F-83) answered with 20 points for Buducnost.
Sibenik is looking to retain the trophy after a year pause. They triumphed in the competition for straight years before losing to CSKA Sofia in the last season's edition. Jolly Sibenik proved their favorite status and held off ambitious Ragusa in the semis yesterday. Sibenik switched to the full speed in the first half and accumulated a 40:22 lead at halftime. It was just enough to stun Ragusa and never look back in the second part of the encounter. Jolly Sibenik celebrated an 81:57 victory and would try to regain the title in the battle against their archrivals Gospic later today. Anda Jelavic (173-G-80) dropped 16 points, while Tihana Juric (194-C-76) added 14 to pace the winning side. Matea Vrdoljak (-85) responded with 12 points for Ragusa.

Gospic - Buducnost 75:60
Gospic: E Mandir 23, Marina Mazic 10, Adriana Pinto 8
Buducnost: Iva Perovanovic 20, Toni Russell (160-G-83, college: USF) 10

Ragusa - Sibenik 57:81
Ragusa: Matea Vrdoljak 12, Marta Cakic (175-G-82) 10
Sibenik: Anda Jelavic 16, Tihana Juric 14, Evelina Guneva (183-F-80, agency: Interperformances) 13

Standings
Adriatic L. Standings
1. Sibenik 16-2
2. Buducnost 15-3
3. Gospic 14-4
4. Ragusa 10-8
5. Crvena Zv. 10-8
6. Celje 6-11
7. Jedinstvo 6-12
8. Medvescak 5-13
9. Vojvodina 4-13
10. M.Kraj. BL 3-15


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BELARUS - Women

Standings - Women
Premier League Standings
1. Berezina 24-2
2. Olimpia 23-3
3. Minsk-2006 20-6
4. Victoria-UOR 15-13
5. BrGU 10-14
6. Vitebsk Reg. 6-20
7. Mogilevchanka 5-21
8. Gomel 1-25


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CROATIA - Women

Standings - Women
A1 Standings
Top Group
1. Sibenik 4-0
2. Gospic 3-0
3. Medvescak 3-2
4. Ragusa 2-2
5. Zadar 1-4
6. Studenec O. 0-5
Bottom Group
1. Pozega 3-0
2. Mursa 2-1
3. Croatia 2006 2-1
4. Montmontaza 1-2
5. Agram 1-2
6. Novi Zagreb 0-3


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CZECH REP. - Women

Standings - ZBL (W)
ZBL Standings
1. Gambrinus 22-0
2. USK Praha 18-3
3. Karlovy Vary 12-10
4. Trutnov 11-9
5. Hradec Kralove 11-9
6. Valosun B. 11-10
7. Sparta Praha 10-10
8. Tabor 4-16
9. Strakonice 3-17
10. Usti n/Labem 1-19


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HUNGARY - Women

Standings - Women
A Standings
1. MKB Eur. 18-1
2. Pecsi 17-0
3. Szeged 16-4
4. Szolnok 13-6
5. BSE 13-6
6. ZTE 13-7
7. Foton 12-7
8. Atomeromu 7-12
9. Vasas-Csata 5-14
10. Cegledi EKK 5-14
11. Kanizsa 3-17
12. BEAC 1-18
13. Savaria 1-18


Round 19 - The weekend's results -by Csilla Kantor


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ITALY - Women

Serie A1, day-24: stats and results -by Carlo Grilli
Acer Priolo - Gescom Viterbo 65 - 57
(15-12, 28-33, 39-44)
ACER PRIOLO: Gianolla A. 11 (3/6, 0/4), Bonfiglio S. 16 (4/12), Milazzo O. , Fabbri E. dnp, Seino T. 17 (5/14, 0/1), Beatrice Sciacca (175-G-83) 8 (0/2, 0/4), Pascalau F. 7 (1/9), Meneghel R. 3 (1/5), Glaubitz D. 3 (0/1, 1/2), Phillips T. (0/2). Coach Coppa Santino
GESCOM VITERBO: Danzi D. 3 (1/3), Kouznetsova S. dnp, Santucci L. 5 (1/2, 1/1), Brunelli G. , Smith B. 14 (7/10), Maslowski M. 17 (5/13, 0/1), Limoura L. 7 (1/8, 1/4), Siccardi V. 3 (1/1), Gorla L. 8 (0/2, 2/3), Crepaldi C. dnp. Coach Agresti Claudio

Fiera di Roma - Banco di Sicilia Ribera 56 - 53
(15-9, 24-21, 36-34)
FIERA DI ROMA: Di Battista F. 6 , Servillo M. dnp, Doneeka Hodges (175-G-82, college: LSU) 14 , Cinili S. , Mendes Da Silva T. dnp, Machanguana C. 18 , Lichnerova J. 2 , Beljanski M. 8 , Scimitani S. 4 , Gattini C. 4. Coach Incecchi Sandro
BANCO DI SICILIA RIBERA: Farris S. 4 , Duffy M. 13 , Favento S. , Bona G. dnp, Kajdacsi J. 7 , Riccardi E. , Montagnino J. 7 , Perfetti C. 3 , Pys'Mennik O. 5 , Razmaite D. 14 . Coach Anselmo Paolo Francesco

Germano Zama Faenza - Famila Wuber Schio 46 - 79
(13-21, 32-39, 37-59)
GERMANO ZAMA FAENZA: Eric M. 6 (2/5, 0/2), Franchini M. 3 (0/3, 1/4), Ramon E. (0/1), David I. 7 (3/8), Ballardini S. dnp, Casadio G. (0/1, 0/5), Jokic D. 4 (2/7, 0/2), Bandini E. (0/1), Knezevic A. 15 (5/8, 1/2), Dos Santos C. 11 (4/5). Coach Rossi Paolo
FAMILA WUBER SCHIO: Consolini C. 2 (1/3), Moro E. 9 (3/7, 1/3), Deanne Butler (169-G-81) 4 (2/3, 0/1), Donaphin B. 6 (2/4), Tassara S. 5 (1/1, 1/3), Masciadri R. 19 (6/9, 2/3), Ngoyisa B. 15 (7/11), Ress K. (0/1), Ciampoli F. 8 (3/5), Macchi L. 11 (3/5, 0/1). Coach Orlando Sandro

Italmoka Pozzuoli - Phard Napoli 62 - 65
(18-17, 29-26, 50-42)
ITALMOKA POZZUOLI: Paparo N. , Ferazzoli I. , Franchetti M. , Minervino M. dnp, Grima H. 15 , Linguaglossa E. dnp, Cirov T. , Grasso A. 17 , Andjelic N. 13 , Dixon T. 17. Coach Palumbo Carlo Fulvio
PHARD NAPOLI: Paterna S. dnp, Cirone M. 6 , Mauriello P. 9 , Sara Giauro (190-C-79) 2 , Barnes A. 15 , Gentile I. , Horasan Y. 10 , Ndiaye A. 6 , Lesdema N. , Holland-Corn K. 17. Coach Molino Nino

Levoni Taranto - Lavezzini Parma 72 - 47
(17-7, 38-20, 53-31)
LEVONI TARANTO: Balleggi M. , Claudia Corbani (182-G-78) 4 (2/3, 0/1), Greco M. 12 (5/11, 0/1), Zimerle A. 15 (3/5, 3/6), Sauret Gillespie A. 2 (1/2), Summerton L. 12 (6/11, 0/1), Prado F. 4 (2/6), Frohlich L. 10 (2/4, 2/8), Brunson R. 11 (5/9, 0/2), Di Monte M. 2 (1/1). Coach Corno Aldo
LAVEZZINI PARMA: Maiorano M. (0/4), Stabile S. 3 (0/3, 1/4), Paparazzo E. 2 (1/5, 0/1), Zanoni I. 4 (2/3), Battisodo V. (0/3), Rejchova M. (0/2), Van Malderen L. 20 (4/6, 3/9), Zanon M. 11 (3/6), Screen J. 4 (2/4, 0/3), Sulciute E. 3 (0/5, 1/3). Coach Scanzani Maurizio

Pool Comense - New Wash Montigarda 82 - 73
(17-13, 35-37, 57-61)
POOL COMENSE: Bouderra F. 8 (3/5, 0/1), Bestagno E. dnp, Fabbri V. 8 (4/4), Slavcheva G. 7 (1/4, 1/3), Turner L. 1 (0/2), Invernizzi M. 7 (1/2, 1/1), Hall V. 18 (4/8, 2/5), Zampella A. 23 (3/5, 5/9), Pasqualin G. dnp, Silvia Sarni (188-F/C-87) 10 (1/4, 2/2). Coach Ricchini Roberto
NEW WASH MONTIGARDA: Gatti G. dnp, Colico R. 11 (3/6, 1/2), Zanotti E. dnp, Fazio M. 20 (7/11, 1/4), Rossi C. 2 (1/1), Smith D. 14 (1/5, 4/5), Dimitrova E. 4 (2/3, 0/3), Albertazzi S. 4 (2/4, 0/1), Ruzickova M. 11 (5/9), Lawless E. 7 (1/4, 0/1). Coach Fossati Fabio

Umana Venezia - Carispe La Spezia 89 - 92 2ot
(14-16, 37-29, 53-47, 70-70, 80-80)
UMANA VENEZIA: Sottana G. 8 (0/1, 1/5), Modica F. 11 (3/4, 1/3), Johnson S. 32 (6/10, 2/6), Sanford N. 8 (2/4), Andrade M. 4 , Nadalin J. 17 (7/10), Giauro E. (0/2), Romagnoli A. , Vujovic A. 9 (3/7, 1/3), Zampieri A. dnp. Coach Riga Massimo
CARISPE LA SPEZIA: Bestagno M. , Licia Corradini (173-G-85) 4 (2/4), Pastore C. 8 (2/5, 0/2), Callens E. 14 (6/12, 0/4), Templari E. , Newton C. 36 (7/12, 3/3), Bagnara B. 9 (0/4, 2/7), Vukovic V. 5 (2/3), Sarti R. 6 (2/3), Willis C. 10 (5/13). Coach Papini Giovanni

Standings A1 (W)
A1 Standings
1. Taranto 21-3
2. Schio 20-4
3. Venezia 18-6
4. Napoli 17-7
5. Priolo 12-12
6. Parma 12-12
7. Faenza 12-12
8. La Spezia 11-13
9. Comense 10-14
10. Viterbo 9-15
11. Pozzuoli 8-16
12. Roma 8-16
13. Ribera 6-18
14. Montigarda 4-20


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JUCO - Women

Semifinals are set in NJCAA Division I National Championship -by Eurobasket News
The quarterfinal stage was completed yesterday at the National Championship in Salina. Four teams advanced to the semifinals and would clash today for a chance to play in the decider on Saturday.
The 3rd-ranked Gulf Coast CC managed to overcame Jefferson College in a heated matchup 64:62 to reach the Final Four. It was a well-matched battle with the teams leveled throughout the bigger part of the game. They were all square at 29 at halftime but the Commodores were just more persistent late in the game and pulled away with a narrow win. Dee Liles led Gulf Coast with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Janae Stokes added 15 points for the winners. Danielle Adams was impressive with 29 points and 16 boards for the Vikings in defeat.
The 2nd-ranked University of Arkansas-Fort Smith got to much confident victory over College of Southern Idaho 80:63. The Lions took over right from the start and built a 42:27 buffer at the long break. Southern Idaho matched the tempo after the intermission but it was too late to revive the intrigue in this one. Arkansas-Fort Smith celebrated a storming victory and would face Gulf Coast CC in the semifinal. Tanisha Smith (6'1''-F-88) scored 22 points for Arkansas-Fort Smith. Katorra Lewis added 19 points and 13 boards for the winners. Maddy Plunkett notched 25 points and 7 rebounds to pace the Golden Eagles.
The top-seeded Central Arizona took care of Midland College to book their semifinal ticket. The Lady Chaparrals fought bravely in the first half and trailed by a single point at the sides change. But Central Arizona stepped on the gas in the second half and drove away for good. The Vaqueras were led by 17 points and 6 rebounds from Tenaya Watson. Alicia Sanchez (5'9''-F-70) nailed 14 points for the winning side. Lyrell Barfield answered with 26 points for Midland College.
Central Arizona will face Barton County CC in the second semifinal matchup. The 5th-ranked Cougars upset the 4th-ranked Southeastern Illinois 55:45 to advance to Final Four. A stifling defense was the key to the Cougars' success. They held their opponents to 21 points in the first half and accumulated a 7-point advantage which proved decisive. Courtney Sturdivant (5'6''-G) had 14 points for Barton County. Jessica Halsig (6'0''-G) added 13 points in a win. Armelie Lumanu (5'8''-G-88) replied with 10 points and 12 boards for the Lady Falcons.

Top-ranked Monroe College wins NJCAA Division III -by Eurobasket News
The Monroe Mustangs proved their top-seed status marching though the Division III tournament and claiming the title. They faced the 4th-ranked Mohawk Valley CC Hawks in the final. Monroe got to a better start to the game and never surrendered the lead. They piled up a 31:22 advantage at the break and stormed past the Hawks in the second half. Monet Johnson (5'7''-G) was impressive with game-high 30 points and 14 boards to pace the Mustangs. Talaya Robinson added 13 points for the winners. Sam Morgan tallied 13 points and 12 boards for Mohawk Valley in a loss.
Monet Johnson was named the tournament's MVP. Seth Goodman received the Coach of the Tournament award. The All-Tournament Team included Alyssa Schiele of Madison Area Technical, Sasha Fabrizio of Brookdale CC, Shanara Jones from College of DuPage, Shanai Norman and Samantha Morgan of Mohawk Valley CC and Monroe's Verrie Harris and Tierra Cleaves.

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LEBANON - Women

HOMENETMEN ANTELIAS IN THE LEBANESE LEAGUE FINAL -by Raffi Kassabian
Homenetmen Antelias reached the lebanese league finals after beating Riyadi Beirut 3-1 in the series infront of a big crowd of Homenetmen fans that is with no doubt the biggest in this year's championship. The fourth game of the semi final series that was played in Homenetmen's court saw Riyadi Beirut get the early lead and end the quarter 13-7. In the second quarter Homenetmen players gradually reduced the difference and got a 1 point lead at the end of the second quarter with the score 24-23. Homenetmen dominated the third quarter completely after scoring 21 points against only 7 scored by Riyadi and were able to end the game with a big difference 61-42. Homenetmen Antelias will play in the final series of the lebanese league against Antranik Beirut who ended the other semi final series securing a 3-0 lead over Champville.

Result of game 4

Homenetmen Antelias - Riyadi Beirut 61-42

Homenetmen Anelias: Nathalie Sevajian (170-G-88) 21, Sandra Najem (165-G-88) 19, Caroline Moufarej 9, Alek Tabakian (175-G-85) 5, Leila Fares 4, Sanan Markarian 3.
Riyadi Beirut: Emma Eskidjian (-C-71) 21, Maya El Achkar (179-F-81) 8, Talar Margossian 7, Sabine Fakhoury 4, Mayssa Fneish 2.


Lebanese Basketball Championship Semi Final Round - Results

Antranik Beirut - Champville 72-34
Champville - Antranik Beirut 37-54
Antranik Beirut - Champville 73-42

Riyadi Beirut - Homenetmen Antelias 47-63
Homenetmen Antelias - Riyadi Beirut 53-63
Riyadi Beirut - Homenetmen Antelias 56-75
Homenetmen Antelias - Riyadi Beirut 61-42

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LITHUANIA - Women

Lemminkainen and Laisve step closer to semifinal -by Eurobasket News
Lemminkained and Laisve opened the quarterfinal stage with victories. Lemminkainen overcame Atletas 91:67 to enjoy the advantage in the matchup. The teams looked well-matched in the first quarter and were all square at 25 after 10 minutes of action. But the hosts took over in the second period. They outgunned the visitors 26:6 to pile up an insurmountable lead. Atletas trimmed the deficit by 5 points in the third term but it was not enough to hope for any kind of positive result at the end. Lemminkainen struck once again in the final stanza and finalized a stunning victory. Egle Zygelyte (166-G-84) led the action with 20 points, 8 boards and 5 assists for Lemminkainen. Daina Staugaitiene (182-G-80) added 15 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Kornelija Balciunaite (177-F-81) answered with 21 points, 9 steals and 7 boards for Atletas. Irma Raugaite (176-G-84) had 17 points in a loss. Game 2 is scheduled for March 26.
Laisve toppled Siauliai 90:58 at home court. The hosts entered the game aggressively and quickly spurred ahead to a comfortable distance. They led 25:15 after the opening quarter and kept Siauliai cold for the major part of the second term. However the visitors were able to shave the gap to 9 points at halftime. It was as close as they could get. Laisve controlled the rhythm after the long break and coasted to an impressive win. Jovita Jutelyte (187-F-71) provided 20 points and 7 rebounds in a win. Asta Daujadiene (176-G-73) and Jolanta Marmiene (181-F-79) had 14 points apiece for the winners. Ugne Motuzaite (167-G-85) and Gabriele Gutkauskaite (174-G-90) replied with 9 points each for Siauliai.