NBL Round 21 (Regular Season): Cherno More beat Lokomotiv Pl. by three after a very close game

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Fourth-ranked Lokomotiv Pl. (12-9) was very close to win a game against third ranked Cherno More (16-5) in Varna on Sunday. Cherno More managed to secure only three-point victory 79-76. However their fans expected easier game. Cherno More outrebounded Lokomotiv Pl. 45-29 including 30 on the defensive glass. It was a good game for British-Jamaican point guard Jelani Watson-Gayle (184-1998, college: Fresno Pacific) who led his team to a victory with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international swingman Nikolay Stoyanov (195-1994) contributed with 14 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. American point guard Grant Singleton (183-2000, college: FDU, agency: Octagon Europe) answered with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists for Lokomotiv Pl.Cherno More have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain third place with 16-5 record having just two points less than leader Balkan. Newly promoted Lokomotiv Pl. keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. Cherno More are looking forward to face Botev (#5) in Vratsa in the next round. Lokomotiv Pl. will play on the road against the league's leader Balkan in Botevgrad and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Rilski (17-4) against sixth ranked Spartak Pleven (10-11) on Wednesday night. Visiting Rilski was defeated by Spartak Pleven in a tough game in Pleven 86-91. American forward Kavaughn Scott (201-1998, college: Loyola, MD) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line) for the winners and Jalan McCloud chipped in 24 points. The best for the losing side was American center Mike Edwards (206-1997, college: Georgia) with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Rilski's coach Lubomir Kirov rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Spartak Pleven maintains sixth place with 10-11 record. Defending champion Rilski keeps the second position with four games lost. Spartak Pleven will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Rilski will play on the road against Levski in Sofia and hopes to get back on the winning track.
An interesting game was also surprising road defeat of 4th ranked Lokomotiv Pl. in a game in Pernik versus Minyor 2015 (#7) 109-103. Austin Price nailed 27 points and 4 assists (went 10 for 10 at the free throw line !!!) for the winning side. Minyor 2015's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Grant Singleton came up with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for Lokomotiv Pl. in the defeat. Minyor 2015 maintains seventh place with 9-12 record. Newly promoted Lokomotiv Pl. keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. Minyor 2015 will meet at home Akademik (#9) in the next round. Lokomotiv Pl. will play against the league's leader Balkan (#1) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 21: Cherno More beat Shumen on the road 92-86. Balkan destroyed Botev on its own court 106-74. Akademik managed to outperform Levski in Plovdiv 92-83. Bottom-ranked Shumen managed to beat Levski at home 77-72. Minyor 2015 was defeated by Rilski on the opponent's court 89-77. Spartak Pleven beat Levski in a home game 89-74. Balkan won against Akademik on the road 91-77. Botev managed to outperform Beroe on its own court 88-75.
The most impressive performance of 21th round was 24 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists by Darius Quisenberry of Beroe.



Shumen - Cherno More 86-92

No shocking result in a game when third ranked Cherno More (16-5) beat on the road 11th ranked Shumen (3-17) 92-86 on Wednesday. American forward Lamont West (203-2002, college: Missouri St.) nailed 31 points (on 12-of-15 shooting from the field) for the winning side and British-Jamaican point guard Jelani Watson-Gayle (184-1998, college: Fresno Pacific) accounted for 11 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. American center Michael Marsh (208-1999, college: OK State) came up with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 13 rebounds and the other American import swingman Jalen Barr (193, college: Flagler) added 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for Shumen in the defeat. Four Cherno More and five Shumen players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Cherno More. They maintain third place with 16-5 record having just two points less than leader Balkan. Shumen at the other side dropped to the tenth position with 17 games lost. Cherno More will meet at home Botev (#5) in the next round. Shumen will play against Beroe (#8) in Stara Zagora and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Cherno More: W.Lamont 31+4reb+2ast, B.Georgi 17+6reb, G.Alonzo 13+8reb, W.Jelani 11+5reb+8ast, S.Nikolay 9+5reb+4ast, P.Ventsislav 6+1reb+1ast
Shumen: M.Marsh 21+13reb+2ast, K.Lazarov 15+2reb+2ast, B.Jalen 14+7reb+5ast, W.Ellis 12+3reb+2ast, M.Baris 10+9reb+4ast, D.Miroslav 7+1reb

Balkan - Botev 106-74

Very expected game when 5th ranked Botev (11-10) was smashed by first ranked Balkan (18-3) in Botevgrad 106-74 on Wednesday. Balkan looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Botev's players. American center Demond Robinson (206-2000, college: KSU) nailed 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the winning side and his fellow American import point guard Jamari Blackmon (183-2000, college: ULM) accounted for 18 points and 4 assists. Four Balkan players scored in double figures. American power forward Courtney Alexander (203-1997, college: Tenn Tech) came up with 23 points and 7 rebounds and point guard Mihail Kalinov (184-2007) added 17 points respectively for Botev in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Balkan. They maintain first place with 18-3 record. Newly promoted Botev keeps the fifth position with ten games lost. Balkan will meet at home Lokomotiv Pl. (#4) in the next round. Botev will play against Cherno More in Varna and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Balkan: B.Jamari 18+4ast, R.Demond 15+5reb+4ast, M.Travis 15+2ast, T.Nikolov 12, D.Dimitar 11+2reb+4ast, S.Aleks 9+2reb+2ast
Botev: C.Alexander 23+7reb, M.Kalinov 17+2reb+3ast, G.Gerganov 14+1reb+5ast, D.Haughton 8+6reb, M.Stefan 6+2reb+1ast, I.Georgi 4+2reb+1ast

Minyor 2015 - Lokomotiv Pl. 109-103

An interesting game was also surprising road defeat of 4th ranked Lokomotiv Pl. in a game in Pernik versus Minyor 2015 (#7) 109-103. Minyor 2015 made 24-of-31 free shots (77.4 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American guard Austin Price (193-1995, college: Lehigh) nailed 27 points and 4 assists (went 10 for 10 at the free throw line !!!) for the winning side and the former international swingman Lachezar Toshkov (187-2002, agency: BIG) accounted for 17 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. Minyor 2015's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American point guard Grant Singleton (183-2000, college: FDU, agency: Octagon Europe) came up with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists and the other American import guard Devearl Ramsey (180-1997, college: UCSB) added 26 points and 5 assists respectively for Lokomotiv Pl. in the defeat. Five Minyor 2015 and four Lokomotiv Pl. players scored in double figures. Minyor 2015 maintains seventh place with 9-12 record. Newly promoted Lokomotiv Pl. keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. Minyor 2015 will meet at home Akademik (#9) in the next round. Lokomotiv Pl. will play against the league's leader Balkan (#1) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Minyor 2015: P.Austin 27+3reb+4ast, K.Igor 23+2reb+2ast, T.Lachezar 17+5reb+9ast, O.Alex 13+4reb+3ast, L.Stankovic 12+12reb+2ast, M.Montavious 10+6reb
Lokomotiv Pl.: D.Ramsey 26+2reb+5ast, G.Singleton 24+5reb+8ast, G.Kenderov 14+1reb+1ast, M.Tomislav 11+5reb+1ast, K.Krastanov 8+9reb+1ast, I.Kikrilis 6+3reb+2ast

Levski - Akademik P. 83-92

The game between closely ranked teams ended with ninth ranked Akademik's (8-13) road victory over bottom-ranked Levski (3-18) in Sofia 92-83 on Wednesday. Akademik looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Akademik made 7 blocks. The former international Nikolay Mihaylov (204-2000, agency: BIG) nailed a double-double by scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and American forward Jacquez Yow (198-1999, college: Limestone) accounted for 20 points and 5 rebounds. The former international swingman Zlatin Georgiev (197-1985) came up with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and Stoyan Kaynarov (190-2001) added 14 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Levski in the defeat. Four Akademik and five Levski players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Akademik moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Beroe. Levski lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with 18 games lost. Akademik will meet higher ranked Minyor 2015 (#7) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Levski will play against the league's second-placed Rilski (#2) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Akademik P.: Y.Jacquez 20+5reb+2ast, M.Nikolay 17+11reb+4ast, S.DeMarcus 14+4reb+7ast, B.Vasil 12+3reb+3ast, D.Vatangoe 7+1reb, T.Obrad 7+6reb+2ast
Levski: V.Nankinski 15+7reb, K.Stoyan 14+7reb+1ast, A.Aleksandrov 12+6reb+1ast, Z.Georgiev 11+6reb+7ast, C.Raines 10+4reb+2ast, M.Boyanov 8+1reb+4ast

Spartak Pleven - Rilski 91-86

Very important is a road loss of second ranked Rilski (17-4) against sixth ranked Spartak Pleven (10-11) on Wednesday night. Visiting Rilski was defeated by Spartak Pleven in a tough game in Pleven 86-91. Spartak Pleven made 21-of-27 charity shots (77.8 percent) during the game. American forward Kavaughn Scott (201-1998, college: Loyola, MD) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line) for the winners and his fellow American import point guard Jalan McCloud (180-1995, college: ETSU, agency: Helping Ballers) chipped in 24 points. The best for the losing side was American center Mike Edwards (206-1997, college: Georgia) with 13 points and 6 rebounds and the former international point guard Deyan Karamfilov (180-1994, agency: BIG) scored 13 points and 7 assists. Five Spartak Pleven and four Rilski players scored in double figures. Rilski's coach Lubomir Kirov rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Spartak Pleven maintains sixth place with 10-11 record. Defending champion Rilski keeps the second position with four games lost. Spartak Pleven will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Rilski will play on the road against Levski in Sofia and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Spartak Pleven: M.Jalan 24+2reb+3ast, S.Kavaughn 20+11reb, S.Martin 15+7reb+1ast, I.Pavlin 15+2reb+5ast, R.Martin 14+3reb+2ast, T.Georgi 3+4reb+1ast
Rilski: Y.Alexander 15+3reb+2ast, D.Karamfilov 13+1reb+7ast, M.Edwards 13+6reb+2ast, A.Arnett 10+6reb, J.Davis 9+2ast, V.Miroslav 9

Shumen - Levski 77-72

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams when 10th ranked Levski (3-18) lost on the road to eleventh ranked Shumen (3-17) 77-72 on Friday. Shumen outrebounded Levski 41-29 including 29 on the defensive glass. American swingman Jalen Barr (193, college: Flagler) nailed a double-double by scoring 27 points and 12 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import center Michael Marsh (208-1999, college: OK State) accounted for 21 points and 13 rebounds. American forward Cadarian Raines (205-1990, college: Virginia Tech, agency: BIG) came up with 20 points and 8 rebounds and the former international swingman Zlatin Georgiev (197-1985) added 5 points, 9 rebounds and 14 assists respectively for Levski in the defeat. Shumen moved-up to tenth place. Levski lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with 18 games lost. Shumen will meet higher ranked Beroe (#8) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Levski will play against the league's second-placed Rilski where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Shumen: J.Barr 27+12reb+1ast, M.Michael 21+13reb+2ast, L.Kostadin 10+4reb+3ast, K.Vuga 6+5reb+1ast, B.Mustafa 6+2reb+1ast, V.Stanev 5+3reb+1ast
Levski: C.Raines 20+8reb+2ast, K.Stoyan 16+2reb+1ast, A.Aleksandrov 12+3reb+1ast, V.Nankinski 6+1reb, Z.Georgiev 5+9reb+14ast, M.Boyanov 5+1reb

Cherno More - Lokomotiv Pl. 79-76

Fourth-ranked Lokomotiv Pl. (12-9) was very close to win a game against third ranked Cherno More (16-5) in Varna on Sunday. Cherno More managed to secure only three-point victory 79-76. However their fans expected easier game. Cherno More outrebounded Lokomotiv Pl. 45-29 including 30 on the defensive glass. It was a good game for British-Jamaican point guard Jelani Watson-Gayle (184-1998, college: Fresno Pacific) who led his team to a victory with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international swingman Nikolay Stoyanov (195-1994) contributed with 14 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Five Cherno More players scored in double figures. American point guard Grant Singleton (183-2000, college: FDU, agency: Octagon Europe) answered with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and the other American import guard Devearl Ramsey (180-1997, college: UCSB) added 15 points and 5 assists in the effort for Lokomotiv Pl.Cherno More have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain third place with 16-5 record having just two points less than leader Balkan. Newly promoted Lokomotiv Pl. keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. Cherno More are looking forward to face Botev (#5) in Vratsa in the next round. Lokomotiv Pl. will play on the road against the league's leader Balkan in Botevgrad and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Cherno More: B.Georgi 15+7reb, W.Jelani 14+5reb+6ast, S.Nikolay 14+8reb, K.Ivan 13+5reb+1ast, W.Lamont 13+5reb, G.Alonzo 6+6reb+4ast
Lokomotiv Pl.: G.Singleton 19+5reb+6ast, S.Anderson 16+3reb+1ast, D.Ramsey 15+4reb+5ast, M.Tomislav 9+3reb+1ast, K.Miller 8+6reb, K.Mihov 5+7reb+1ast

Rilski - Minyor 2015 89-77

Everything went according to plan when second ranked Rilski (17-4) defeated 7th ranked Minyor 2015 (9-12) in Samokov 89-77 on Sunday. Rilski made 22-of-27 free shots (81.5 percent) during the game. Power forward Alexander Yanev (203-1990) nailed 19 points and 6 rebounds for the winning side and American center Mike Edwards (206-1997, college: Georgia) accounted for 15 points and 10 rebounds. Four Rilski players scored in double figures. Serbian power forward Lazar Stankovic (204-1999) came up with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds and American Montavious Murphy (205-2001, college: SF Austin, agency: Olsta) added 8 points and 9 rebounds respectively for Minyor 2015 in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Defending champion maintains second place with 17-4 record behind leader Balkan. Minyor 2015 at the other side keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. Rilski will meet bottom-ranked Levski (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Minyor 2015 will play against Akademik (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Rilski: A.Yanev 19+6reb+3ast, A.Alan 15+4reb+1ast, E.Mike 15+10reb+1ast, B.Hristo 12+6reb+1ast, D.Jon 10+3reb+3ast, K.Chavdar 9+4ast
Minyor 2015: S.Lazar 17+10reb+1ast, A.Ouandie 15+3reb, I.Kesar 8+2ast, M.Murphy 8+9reb+3ast, L.Toshkov 6+6reb+5ast, M.Andrey 6+2reb

Spartak Pleven - Levski 89-74

There was no surprise when 10th ranked Levski (3-18) lost on the road to sixth ranked Spartak Pleven (10-11) 89-74 on Sunday. Spartak Pleven dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Levski's 26. American forward Kavaughn Scott (201-1998, college: Loyola, MD) nailed 24 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import point guard Jalan McCloud (180-1995, college: ETSU, agency: Helping Ballers) accounted for 20 points and 4 assists. Four Spartak Pleven players scored in double figures. The former international swingman Zlatin Georgiev (197-1985) came up with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists and swingman Mario Boyanov (197-2004, agency: BIG) added 17 points and 4 assists respectively for Levski in the defeat. Levski's coach Konstantin Papazov tested ten players and allowed the starting five to rest. Spartak Pleven maintains sixth place with 10-11 record. Levski lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with 18 games lost. Spartak Pleven will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Levski will play against the league's second-placed Rilski (#2) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Spartak Pleven: S.Kavaughn 24+9reb, M.Jalan 20+2reb+4ast, S.Martin 13+8reb+1ast, T.Nikolay 10+4reb+1ast, R.Martin 7+5reb+2ast, U.Isiah 6+4reb+4ast
Levski: Z.Georgiev 21+8reb+6ast, M.Boyanov 17+4reb+4ast, A.Aleksandrov 10+1reb+2ast, K.Stoyan 9+1reb+1ast, A.Vachev 5+5reb+1ast, V.Nankinski 4+3reb

Akademik P. - Balkan 77-91

No shocking result in a game when first ranked Balkan (18-3) beat 9th ranked Akademik (8-13) in Plovdiv 91-77 on Monday. Balkan made 23-of-25 free shots (92.0 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. American swingman Travis McConico (198-1997, college: Charleston So.) nailed 22 points and 8 assists for the winning side and his fellow American import center Demond Robinson (206-2000, college: KSU) accounted for 14 points and 13 rebounds. Balkan's coach Vasil Hristov allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. The former international Vasil Bachev (195-1992, college: Cuesta JC) came up with 25 points and 4 assists and the former international Nikolay Mihaylov (204-2000, agency: BIG) added 16 points and 8 rebounds respectively for Akademik in the defeat. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Balkan. They maintain first place with 18-3 record. Akademik at the other side dropped to the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Beroe. Balkan will meet at home Lokomotiv Pl. (#4) in the next round. Akademik will play against Minyor 2015 (#7) in Pernik and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Balkan: M.Travis 22+3reb+8ast, D.Dimitar 19+4reb+3ast, R.Demond 14+13reb+1ast, B.Jamari 9+1reb+2ast, G.Nikolay 8+4reb+1ast, G.Tajh 7+2reb
Akademik P.: V.Bachev 25+3reb+4ast, N.Mihaylov 16+8reb+2ast, J.Yow 11+3reb, V.Donzo 8+5reb+1ast, O.Tomic 7+6reb+4ast, R.Petar 4+2reb+2ast

Botev - Beroe 88-75

Rather expected game when 8th ranked Beroe (8-13) lost to fifth ranked Botev (11-10) in Vratsa 75-88 on Monday. Botev shot 61.1 percent from the field. Botev had a 30-17 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. International guard Georgi Gerganov (192-2003) nailed 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) for the winning side and point guard Mihail Kalinov (184-2007) accounted for 24 points and 4 assists. Four Botev players scored in double figures. American point guard Darius Quisenberry (185-1999, college: Fordham, agency: LHZ Sport Agency) came up with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists and the former international power forward Martin Jordanov (205-2002, agency: BIG) added 12 points and 10 rebounds respectively for Beroe in the defeat. Beroe's coach Daniel Klechkov tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Newly promoted Botev maintains fifth place with 11-10 record. Beroe lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Akademik. Botev will meet higher ranked Cherno More (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Beroe will play against Shumen (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Botev: K.Mihail 24+2reb+4ast, G.Georgi 24+7reb+5ast, H.David 15+9reb+2ast, A.Courtney 13+10reb+6ast, K.Ivo 3+2reb+1ast, S.Mihaylov 3+4reb+2ast
Beroe: D.Quisenberry 24+5reb+7ast, D.Williams 12+7reb+1ast, M.Jordanov 12+10reb+2ast, Z.Kristiyan 8+1ast, A.Milov 6+1reb+1ast, M.Zahariev 6+4reb