Basketball Champions League Qualifiers: RASTA Vechta Routs Promitheas, Dziki Warszawa Survives Breogan's Furious Rally in Semifinals

Basketball Champions League Qualifiers action in Samokov produced one lopsided result and one instant classic in Saturday's semifinals, with RASTA Vechta overwhelming Promitheas Patras BC 103-73 while Dziki Warszawa held off a stunning fourth-quarter surge from Rio Breogan Lugo to escape with a 113-110 win.
Vechta took control early against Promitheas and never let up, leading by six after the first quarter before extending the margin steadily through the second and third periods to open a 25-point cushion, 77-52, heading into the fourth. Armaan Franklin (193-G-2000, college: Virginia, agency: Slash Sports) led all scorers with 24 points, and Matt Lewis (192-G-1998, college: JMU) added 21, while Lloyd Pandi (193-F-1999, college: Carleton) chipped in 18 and Justin Edler-Davis (193-G/F-1998, college: CSUB) contributed 14 as five different Vechta players reached double figures. Promitheas got 15 points apiece from Kendal Coleman (204-F/C-2002, college: CBU) and Shannon Evans II (185-PG-1994, college: Arizona St.), with Joirdon Nicholas (206-F-1999, college: Texas Southern) adding 12, but the Greek club shot just 29.6 percent from three-point range and could not slow Vechta's balanced attack at either end.
The second semifinal turned into a shootout for the ages. Dziki Warszawa built a 20-point lead by the end of the third quarter, 95-75, behind a dominant night from Joseph Girard III (185-G-2000, college: Clemson), who finished with 32 points and 7 assists, and Makai Ashton-Langford (191-G-1998, college: Boston Coll.), who added 19 points and 5 assists. But Rio Breogan Lugo refused to go quietly, exploding for 35 points in the fourth quarter alone to pull within a single possession before the final buzzer, with Francis Alonso (191-SG-1996, college: UNCG) erupting for a game-high 29 points and Dominik Mavra (195-G-1994) piling up 13 points and 11 assists in the comeback bid. Osun Osunniyi (208-F/C-1998, college: Iowa St.) and Zane Waterman (203-F-1995, college: Manhattan) each scored 16 for Dziki, whose 113-110 win held up despite Breogan also getting 13 points apiece from Danko Brankovic (217-C-2000) and Rasir Bolton (190-G-1999, college: Gonzaga, agency: Octagon Europe) in the frantic finish.