Korisliiga Round 1 (Second Stage): Honka is upset by Seagulls

The Second Stage in Korisliiga just started. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between Honka and Seagulls was the most important one in the last round on Friday night. Honka was defeated by Seagulls in Helsinki 98-82. 24 personal fouls committed by Honka helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American center Rene Rougeau (198-1986, college: UNLV, agency: Blacktop Management) fired a double-double by scoring 15 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. His fellow American import power forward Jalen Henry (203-1996, college: SIUE) chipped in 25 points. Forward Alvar Peltoniemi (197-2001, college: Fresno Pacific) produced 22 points and 6 rebounds for lost side. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Seagulls are looking forward to face Korihait in Uusikaupunki in the next round. Honka will play at home against KTP-Basket and is hoping to win this game.
The game in Kotka was also worth to mention about. Karhubasket played at the court of KTP-Basket. Karhubasket managed to secure a 7-point victory 88-81. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Ty Berry (190-2001, college: Northwestern) who helped to win the game recording 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Ike Nweke contributed with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. The former international center Hannes Polla (211-1998, college: UT Martin) answered with 17 points and 8 rebounds for KTP-Basket. KTP-Basket's coach Darko Mihajlovic rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Karhubasket will play against Vilpas in Salo in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. KTP-Basket will play on the road against Honka in Espoo and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in Uusikaupunki was also quite interesting. Vilpas played at the court of Korihait. Vilpas defeated Korihait 83-73 on Saturday. The game was dominated by American players. Jalen Brooks stepped up with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. At the losing side Frank Champion responded with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Korihait's coach Ivan Ivanovic tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Vilpas will meet Karhubasket in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Korihait will play against Seagulls in Helsinki and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Other games of round 1 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Pyrinto was defeated by Bisons in Loimaa 97-86. Bottom-ranked Kobrat was beaten by Kataja at home 91-95. Lahti lost to Kouvot on the opponent's court 74-79.
The best stats of 1st round was 17 points and 6 rebounds by Ansley Almonor of Vilpas.



Bisons - Pyrinto 97-86

Bisons used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Tampere 97-86 on Friday night. American center Dean Keeler (211-2001, college: UC Irvine, agency: One Motive Sports) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 15 rebounds for the winners and point guard Tevaun Kokko (180-1995, college: TMU) chipped in 22 points and 9 assists. At the losing side American guard Jared Billups (193-2003, college: GMU) responded with 17 points and 9 rebounds and forward Riku Laine (197-1997) scored 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Five Pyrinto players scored in double figures. Bisons will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Pyrinto will play against Lahti and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Pyrinto: J.Billups 17+9reb+3ast, K.Warner 15+4reb+2ast, L.Riku 15+5reb+4ast, J.Henttonen 13+2reb+3ast, T.Palmi 12+1reb+1ast, V.Mervola 12+1reb+11ast
Bisons: K.Dean 30+15reb+2ast, T.Kokko 22+3reb+9ast, A.Jalin 13+4reb+3ast, H.Robert 10+1reb+1ast, O.Makynen 8+5reb, H.Vesa 6+5reb+4ast

Kobrat - Kataja 91-95

No shocking result in a game in Lapua where Kataja defeated Kobrat 95-91 on Friday. Kataja made 17-of-19 free shots (89.5 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists comparing to just 12 passes made by Kobrat's players. The game was dominated by American players. Guard DeVion Harmon (188-2001, college: Texas Tech) stepped up and scored 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and forward Jermaine Marshall (198-2000, college: Samford) chipped in 21 points. At the losing side point guard Jaquan Carlos (183-2002, college: Syracuse) responded with 38 points (!!!), 6 rebounds and 5 assists and center Efton Reid III (213-2002, college: Wake Forest) produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Kobrat's coach Ville Turja tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Kataja will meet at home Lahti in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Kobrat will play against Pyrinto in Tampere and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Kobrat: C.Jaquan 38+6reb+5ast, T.Choh 17+10reb+1ast, E.Reid III 17+10reb+2ast, B.Planutis 11+4reb, M.Miikka 3+1reb, A.Nikkarinen 2+1reb
Kataja: M.Jermaine 21+3reb+1ast, H.De'Vion 18+6reb+4ast, K.Jared 14+6reb+3ast, T.Knihtinen 11+5reb, K.Antti 11+2reb+3ast, T.Thomas 8+4reb+2ast

Kouvot - Lahti 79-74

There was a minor upset in Kouvola where Lahti was defeated by Kouvot 79-74 on Friday. Kouvot dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Lahti's 30. The game was dominated by American players. Guard Wesley Cardet Jr (198, college: Providence) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 20 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and guard Brandon Stroud (198-2002, college: S.Florida) chipped in 17 points and 7 rebounds. Stroud is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. At the losing side guard Lue Williams (196-2001, college: Tarleton St.) responded with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists (made all of his seven free throws) and forward Jehloni James (201-2001, college: Columbus St.) scored 20 points and 5 blocks. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Kouvot will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Lahti will play against Pyrinto and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Lahti: J.James 20+4reb, L.Williams 19+5reb+4ast, S.Teel 12+4reb+5ast, M.Brooks 10+6reb+1ast, V.Nyman 6+4reb, S.Arttu 4+7reb+1ast
Kouvot: C.Wesley 20+13reb+5ast, J.Heinonen 18+2reb+3ast, S.Brandon 17+7reb+3ast, K.Aarni 13+9reb+1ast, B.Tai 7+6reb+2ast, R.Lindberg 2

Seagulls - Honka 98-82

The game between Honka and Seagulls was the most important one in the last round on Friday night. Honka was defeated by Seagulls in Helsinki 98-82. 24 personal fouls committed by Honka helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American center Rene Rougeau (198-1986, college: UNLV, agency: Blacktop Management) fired a double-double by scoring 15 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. His fellow American import power forward Jalen Henry (203-1996, college: SIUE) chipped in 25 points. Forward Alvar Peltoniemi (197-2001, college: Fresno Pacific) produced 22 points and 6 rebounds and guard Riku Korhonen (196-2004) added 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for lost side. Five Seagulls and four Honka players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Seagulls are looking forward to face Korihait in Uusikaupunki in the next round. Honka will play at home against KTP-Basket and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Honka: P.Alvar 22+6reb+1ast, D.Gonzalvez 16, T.Donald 11+4reb+3ast, K.Riku 10+7reb+5ast, I.Kelly 8+7reb+4ast, K.Lauri 5+4reb+5ast
Seagulls: H.Jalen 25+4reb+1ast, R.Kahron 16+4reb+5ast, R.Rene 15+11reb+5ast, H.Osku 12+3reb+2ast, K.Christian 12+5reb+2ast, N.Trey 9+3reb+3ast

KTP-Basket - Karhubasket 81-88

The game in Kotka was also worth to mention about. Karhubasket played at the court of KTP-Basket. Karhubasket managed to secure a 7-point victory 88-81. Strangely KTP-Basket outrebounded Karhubasket 39-25 including 26 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Ty Berry (190-2001, college: Northwestern) who helped to win the game recording 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. American-Nigerian power forward Ike Nweke (201-2000, college: Quinnipiac) contributed with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. The former international center Hannes Polla (211-1998, college: UT Martin) answered with 17 points and 8 rebounds and American guard Jayden Taylor (193-2003, college: NC State) added 17 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for KTP-Basket. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. KTP-Basket's coach Darko Mihajlovic rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Karhubasket will play against Vilpas in Salo in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. KTP-Basket will play on the road against Honka in Espoo and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
KTP-Basket: H.Polla 17+8reb+1ast, J.Taylor 17+7reb+1ast, K.Sapwell 14+6reb+1ast, T.Joona 10+3reb+1ast, J.Granlund 9+4reb, H.Tuomas 9+3reb+8ast
Karhubasket: B.Ty 19+7reb+7ast, N.Ike 18+8reb+5ast, O.Kanden 14+1reb+1ast, H.Joey 13+4reb+2ast, A.Laavainen 10+1reb+1ast, L.Eemi 9+3reb+1ast

Korihait - Vilpas 73-83

The game in Uusikaupunki was also quite interesting. Vilpas played at the court of Korihait. Vilpas defeated Korihait 83-73 on Saturday. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Vilpas made 7 blocks. The game was dominated by American players. Forward Jalen Brooks (196-1999, college: LSUS, agency: Players Group) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds for the winners and forward Ansley Almonor (201-2002, college: Kentucky) chipped in 17 points and 6 rebounds (made all of his eight free throws). Four Vilpas players scored in double figures. At the losing side forward Frank Champion (201-2002, college: Chattanooga) responded with 19 points and 7 rebounds and swingman Jalen Jackson (198-1994, college: UALR, agency: Diamond Sports) scored 17 points. Korihait's coach Ivan Ivanovic tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Vilpas will meet Karhubasket in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Korihait will play against Seagulls in Helsinki and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Korihait: F.Champion 19+7reb+3ast, J.Jackson 17+4reb+2ast, M.Aalto 13+6reb, B.Sarcevic 6+4reb+5ast, J.Harris 6+1ast, V.Tahvanainen 5+9reb+2ast
Vilpas: A.Ansley 17+6reb+1ast, B.Jalen 17+13reb+2ast, T.Suokas 13+1reb+1ast, F.Jack 11+4reb+3ast, V.Luukas 10+6reb+1ast, O.Ze'Rik 6+9reb+1ast