1st Division A Round 14 (Regular Season): JBA lose to ACO Basket in the game between Top 4 teams

Coincidentally all hosts won their games. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between Top Four teams took place in Oulun. First ranked host ACO Basket (12-1) smashed 3rd ranked JBA (9-4) 92-68. ACO Basket dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to JBA's 28. They outrebounded JBA 50-26 including a 34-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. 26 personal fouls committed by JBA helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Tyler Harris (201-2001, college: Richmond) had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import forward Kyle Johnson (203-2000, college: Delaware St.) chipped in 14 points and 17 rebounds during the contest. Guard Elias Sarkka (188-2005) responded with 14 points and 5 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. ACO Basket have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 12-1 record. JBA at the other side dropped to the fourth place with four games lost. ACO Basket are looking forward to face Huima (#10) in Aanekoski in the next round and are hoping to win another game. JBA will play at home against Pyrinto Ak.A (#8) and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Eleventh-ranked LrNMKY (2-12) gave a tough game to sixth ranked RaPy (8-6) in Tampere. RaPy managed to secure only three-point victory 80-77. However their fans expected much easier game. Swingman Timi Puittinen (194-1994) notched 25 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort and Tuomo Aalto supported him with 12 points and 6 assists. RaPy's coach Jorgo Dakaj allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Even 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists by forward Valtteri Heiskanen (198-2004) did not help to save the game for LrNMKY. RaPy moved-up to fifth place, which they share with HNMKY and ToPo. LrNMKY lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh position with 12 games lost. RaPy will play against HBA-Marsky (#9) in Helsinki in the next round. LrNMKY will play at home against Kipina and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Second ranked Karkkila (11-2) crushed at home 9th ranked HBA-Marsky (4-9) by 34 points 107-73, which is the biggest margin this round on Sunday night. The best player for the winners was Joey Holifield who scored 30 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Kalle Kuhalampi produced 15 points and 6 rebounds for the guests. Karkkila have an impressive six-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 11-2 record behind leader ACO Basket. Loser HBA-Marsky keeps the ninth place with nine games lost. Karkkila will meet at home Kipina (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. HBA-Marsky will play against RaPy (#5) and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 14: bottom-ranked Raiders Basket lost to Pyrinto Ak.A on the opponent's court 77-83. HNMKY managed to outperform Huima in a home game 100-95. ToPo recorded a loss to Kipina on the road 98-84.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 24 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 steals by Jake Hilmer of Kipina.



Pyrinto Ak.A - Raiders Basket 83-77

Rather expected game in Tampere where 12th ranked Raiders Basket (1-13) was defeated by ninth ranked Pyrinto Ak.A (5-9) 83-77 on Friday. Pyrinto Ak.A made 23-of-29 free shots (79.3 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was guard Kion Williams (187-2003) who scored 16 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Guard Eetu Honkaniemi (185-2007) chipped in 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Four Pyrinto Ak.A players scored in double figures. American forward Shawn Montague (199, college: SNHU) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists and forward Sami Tahvanainen (195-1998) added 25 points and 9 rebounds respectively for the guests. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Pyrinto Ak.A moved-up to eighth place. Raiders Basket lost eighth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom position with 13 games lost. Pyrinto Ak.A will meet higher ranked JBA (#4) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Raiders Basket will play against the league's second-placed Karkkila (#2) and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Pyrinto Ak.A: V.Eskelinen 17+2reb+1ast, K.Williams 16+8reb+6ast, E.Honkaniemi 16+7reb+6ast, O.Raisanen 13+6reb+3ast, M.Parsiala 9+4reb, J.Nieminen 6+5reb+3ast
Raiders Basket: T.Sami 25+9reb, R.Oliver 19+2reb+7ast, S.Montague 18+13reb+7ast, S.Toni 5+3reb+3ast, G.Ivan 4+5reb, S.Lauri 3+3reb+1ast

RaPy - LrNMKY 80-77

Eleventh-ranked LrNMKY (2-12) gave a tough game to sixth ranked RaPy (8-6) in Tampere. RaPy managed to secure only three-point victory 80-77. However their fans expected much easier game. Swingman Timi Puittinen (194-1994) notched 25 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort and forward Tuomo Aalto (190-2001) supported him with 12 points and 6 assists. RaPy's coach Jorgo Dakaj allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Even 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists by forward Valtteri Heiskanen (198-2004) did not help to save the game for LrNMKY. Guard Johan Immonen (189-1999) added 16 points and 9 rebounds for the guests. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. RaPy moved-up to fifth place, which they share with HNMKY and ToPo. LrNMKY lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh position with 12 games lost. RaPy will play against HBA-Marsky (#9) in Helsinki in the next round. LrNMKY will play at home against Kipina and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
RaPy: T.Puittinen 25+5reb+2ast, T.Aalto 12+4reb+6ast, M.Smolander 12+6reb+1ast, A.Mavrodiev 12+2reb+2ast, K.Puittinen 8+2reb+1ast, M.Honkaniemi 4
LrNMKY: I.Johan 16+9reb+1ast, T.Niilo 16+4reb+4ast, K.Otso 14+3reb+5ast, H.Valtteri 13+9reb+7ast, V.Aleksi 9+2reb+1ast, A.Niki 5+4reb+1ast

ACO Basket - JBA 92-68

The game between Top Four teams took place in Oulun. First ranked host ACO Basket (12-1) smashed 3rd ranked JBA (9-4) 92-68. ACO Basket dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to JBA's 28. They outrebounded JBA 50-26 including a 34-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. 26 personal fouls committed by JBA helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Tyler Harris (201-2001, college: Richmond) had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import forward Kyle Johnson (203-2000, college: Delaware St.) chipped in 14 points and 17 rebounds during the contest. Harris is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Guard Elias Sarkka (188-2005) responded with 14 points and 5 rebounds and guard Miro Koskela (202-2004) scored 17 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. ACO Basket have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 12-1 record. JBA at the other side dropped to the fourth place with four games lost. ACO Basket are looking forward to face Huima (#10) in Aanekoski in the next round and are hoping to win another game. JBA will play at home against Pyrinto Ak.A (#8) and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
ACO Basket: H.Tyler 26+13reb, S.De 15+5reb+1ast, P.Eino 14+7reb+1ast, J.Kyle 14+17reb+1ast, V.Valkama 8+1reb+3ast, H.Shawn 8+3reb+1ast
JBA: K.Miro 17+2reb+3ast, B.Panu 14+5reb+1ast, S.Elias 14+5reb+3ast, O.Leon 10+4reb+2ast, V.Vesterinen 4, M.Santeri 3+3reb+2ast

Karkkila - HBA-Marsky 107-73

Second ranked Karkkila (11-2) crushed at home 9th ranked HBA-Marsky (4-9) by 34 points 107-73, which is the biggest margin this round on Sunday night. Karkkila shot the lights out from three sinking 13 long-distance shots on high 54.2 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by HBA-Marsky's players. The best player for the winners was American guard Joey Holifield (191, college: Lourdes) who scored 30 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. point guard Nestori Kivimaki (184-2004) chipped in 24 points and 5 assists. Five Karkkila players scored in double figures. Center Kalle Kuhalampi (199) produced 15 points and 6 rebounds and forward Benjamin Passila (199) added 13 points and 8 rebounds respectively for the guests. Karkkila have an impressive six-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 11-2 record behind leader ACO Basket. Loser HBA-Marsky keeps the ninth place with nine games lost. Karkkila will meet at home Kipina (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. HBA-Marsky will play against RaPy (#5) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Karkkila: H.Joey 30+8reb+6ast, N.Kivimaki 24+3reb+5ast, J.Caleb 17+10reb+4ast, P.Poutiainen 13+2reb+1ast, M.Hyytiainen 11+6reb+4ast, W.Bani 9+4reb+2ast
HBA-Marsky: K.Kalle 15+6reb+1ast, B.Christian 14+6reb+1ast, P.Benjamin 13+8reb+1ast, P.Aarne 9+3reb+5ast, H.Matias 9+4reb, H.Matias 6+3reb

HNMKY - Huima 100-95

Rather predictable result in Helsinki where seventh ranked HNMKY (8-6) defeated 10th ranked Huima (3-10) 100-95 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was guard Nikolas Kataja (192-2002) who scored 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. point guard Lenni Hervola (183-2003) chipped in 22 points and 5 assists. HNMKY's coach Tuomas Oja used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. American guard Raheem Anthony (195, college: St.Thomas) produced a triple-double by scoring 17 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists and guard Onni Niinikoski (185-2007) added 26 points respectively for the guests. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. HNMKY moved-up to fifth place, which they share with RaPy and ToPo. Loser Huima keeps the tenth position with ten games lost. HNMKY's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Helsinki to the arena ToPo.
Top scorers:
HNMKY: L.Hervola 22+3reb+5ast, O.Peltola 21+3reb+3ast, N.Kataja 16+9reb+5ast, R.Vuori 15+10reb+2ast, O.Aare 7+2reb, A.Hyvonen 6+7reb+2ast
Huima: N.Onni 26+3reb, R.Anthony 17+17reb+16ast, M.Rhodes 13+8reb+1ast, J.Veeti 12+3reb+3ast, M.Atte 8, P.Elmo 7+2reb+1ast

Kipina - ToPo 98-84

Not a big story in a game in Aanekoski where 5th ranked ToPo (8-6) was defeated by third ranked Kipina (10-3) 98-84 on Sunday. Kipina forced 20 ToPo turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. The best player for the winners was American guard Jalen McCoy (196-2002, college: USC Aiken, agency: Origins Sports Group) who scored 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. The other American import point guard Jake Hilmer (180-2000, college: Upper Iowa) chipped in a double-double by scoring 24 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 steals (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line). Four Kipina players scored in double figures. Forward Eldar Skamo (198) produced 15 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists and point guard Markus Rautasalo (180-2000) added 17 points and 4 assists respectively for the guests. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Kipina have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 10-3 record having just two points less than leader ACO Basket. Loser ToPo keeps the fifth place with six games lost. They share the position with HNMKY and RaPy. Kipina will meet league's second-placed Karkkila on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. ToPo's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Helsinki HNMKY.
Top scorers:
Kipina: M.Jalen 29+6reb+6ast, H.Jake 24+5reb+11ast, C.Joe 18+6reb+2ast, P.Hinkkanen 13+1reb, V.Virtaharju 5+7reb+2ast, N.Karkkainen 4+1reb+2ast
ToPo: R.Markus 17+2reb+4ast, S.Eldar 15+8reb+8ast, M.Alvar 13+3reb+3ast, S.Abel 9+6reb+1ast, A.Robin 7+3reb+2ast, K.Otto 6+5reb+3ast