GBL Round 5 (Regular Season): Olympiacos keep a leadership position

It's still too early stage of the Regular Season in GBL, but even now we can clearly see the difference between stronger teams and outsiders. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Olympiacos as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Olympiacos smashed 5th ranked Peristeri in Piraeus 91-62. Olympiacos dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Peristeri's 14 and made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was Bulgarian Aleksandar Vezenkov (204-1995) who scored 21 points and 7 rebounds. ex-international swingman Omer Netzipoglou (195-2002) chipped in 16 points. The former international center Emmanouil Chatzidakis (208-2000, agency: Octagon Europe) produced 10 points and 6 rebounds for the guests. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Undefeated Olympiacos (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with PAOK. Peristeri at the other side keeps the fifth place with two games lost. They share the position with Karditsa. Peristeri will play next round against Kolossos trying to get back on the winning streak. Olympiacos will try to continue on its current victory against tenth ranked Maroussi in Athens.
Undefeated Panathinaikos (4-1) recorded its first loss in Thessaloniki. Visitors were defeated by fourth ranked Aris (4-1) 101-91. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Panathinaikos. French swingman Adam Mokoka (195-1998) orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points. Matt Morgan contributed with 21 points for the winners. Aris' coach Igor Milicic allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. French guard Sylvain Francisco (185-1997) answered with 20 points and 5 assists for Panathinaikos. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Aris. They moved-up to third place, which they share with defeated Panathinaikos. Aris will play against Lefkadas (#9) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Panathinaikos' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Athens to the arena AEK.
Vikos can celebrate their first win this season after four consecutive losses. The victory is especially important as they defeated much higher ranked AEK (2-3) 95-84 on Saturday. Allerik Freeman stepped up and scored 20 points for the winners. Vikos I.'s coach Antreas Moisiadis used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Giannoulis Larentzakis responded with 23 points and 5 assists. Vikos (1-4) left bottom position moving up to tenth place, which they share with 4 other teams. Loser AEK keeps the seventh position with three games lost. They share it with Kolossos and Lefkadas. Vikos will meet league's second-placed PAOK in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. AEK's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Athens Panathinaikos.

Other games of round 5 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Kolossos was defeated by Karditsa in a road game 81-65. Mykonos was beaten by Lefkadas at home 59-73. Promitheas lost to Maroussi on the opponent's court 76-87. Iraklis lost to undefeated PAOK in a home game 53-63.
The best stats of 5th round was 16 points and 5 rebounds by Mathias Lessort of Panathinaikos.



Vikos I. - AEK 95-84:
Vikos can celebrate their first win this season after four consecutive losses. The victory is especially important as they defeated much higher ranked AEK (2-3) 95-84 on Saturday. Vikos outrebounded AEK 40-29 including 30 on the defensive glass. American Allerik Freeman (190-1994, college: NC State) stepped up and scored 20 points for the winners and point guard Giannis Karakostas (193-2004, agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in 17 points and 4 assists. Vikos I.'s coach Antreas Moisiadis used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The former international Giannoulis Larentzakis (196-1993, agency: Octagon Europe) responded with 23 points and 5 assists and American guard Frank Bartley IV (191-1994, college: Louisiana) scored 18 points. Vikos (1-4) left bottom position moving up to tenth place, which they share with 4 other teams. Loser AEK keeps the seventh position with three games lost. They share it with Kolossos and Lefkadas. Vikos will meet league's second-placed PAOK in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. AEK's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Athens Panathinaikos.
Top scorers:
AEK: G.Larentzakis 23+4reb+5ast, F.Bartley IV 18+3reb, D.Katsivelis 11+3reb, N.Joseph 9+10reb+2ast, D.Flionis 7+3ast, G.Brown III 5+5reb+1ast
Vikos I.: F.Allerik 20+4reb+1ast, K.Giannis 17+1reb+4ast, A.Giannis 15+3reb+1ast, G.Kostas 9+9reb+3ast, F.Jordan 9+4reb+7ast, J.Keshawn 8+3reb+2ast

Karditsa - Kolossos 81-65:
Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both seventh ranked Karditsa and 8th ranked Kolossos had identical 2-2 record. This time Karditsa used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Rodou 81-65 on Saturday night. Karditsa made 21-of-25 free shots (84.0 percent) during the game. It was a great shooting night for Karditsa especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 53.3 percentage. The game was dominated by American players. Guard KJ Jackson (187-1998, college: UMBC) stepped up and scored 13 points and 5 assists for the winners and guard Justin Turner (193-1998, college: BGSU) chipped in 13 points and 5 rebounds. Four Karditsa players scored in double figures. Forward Jackson Kreuser (206-1999, college: NDSU, agency: Octagon Europe) responded with 11 points and 5 rebounds and center Devonte Upson (206-1993, college: SE Louisiana) scored 12 points. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Karditsa (3-2) moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Peristeri. Loser Kolossos dropped to the seventh position with three games lost. They share it with AEK and Lefkadas. Karditsa will meet Promitheas (#13) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Kolossos will play against Peristeri (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kolossos: D.Upson 12+3reb+1ast, E.Manjon 11+4reb+1ast, J.Kreuser 11+5reb+1ast, J.Barnett 9+3reb+1ast, G.Kamperidis 9+1reb, P.Willis 8+4reb+2ast
Karditsa: M.Jordan 13+1reb+2ast, T.Justin 13+5reb+2ast, P.Andreas 13+2reb+1ast, J.KJ 13+2reb+5ast, F.Ja'Vier 8+9reb, M.Khalid 6+4reb+2ast

Mykonos - Lefkadas 59-73:
Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both ninth ranked Lefkadas and 11th ranked Mykonos had identical 1-3 record. But Mykonos was not able to use a home court advantage and lost to the opponent from Lefkadas 73-59 on Saturday night. The game was dominated by American players. Guard DeVion Harmon (188-2001, college: Texas Tech) stepped up and scored 22 points and 5 assists for the winners and forward Jakeenan Gant (203-1996, college: Louisiana) chipped in 14 points and 9 rebounds. Ronnie Harrell Jr (201-1996, college: Denver) responded with 4 points and 12 rebounds and guard Devin Cannady (188-1996, college: Princeton) scored 11 points. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Lefkadas (2-3) moved-up to seventh place, which they share with AEK and Kolossos. Mykonos lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the tenth position with four games lost. They share it with 4 other teams. Lefkadas will meet at home higher ranked Aris (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Mykonos will play against Iraklis (#11) in Thessaloniki and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Mykonos: D.Cannady 11+4reb+2ast, J.Love 10+1reb+1ast, E.Childs 10+4reb, D.Funderburk 6+3reb, T.Appleby 6+2ast, F.Tigkas 6+4reb+3ast
Lefkadas: H.De'Vion 22+3reb+5ast, G.Jakeenan 14+9reb, P.Micah-Immanuel 11+3reb, S.Josh 8+10reb, R.Trey 5+7reb+2ast, J.Denver 5+3reb+3ast

Maroussi - Promitheas 87-76:
There was a minor upset in Athens where 11th ranked Promitheas (1-4) was defeated by thirteenth ranked Maroussi (1-4) 87-76 on Saturday. Maroussi forced 19 Promitheas turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists. The former international point guard Michail Lountzis (195-1998) stepped up and scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and American forward Lance Ware (206-2001, college: UT Arlington) chipped in 14 points (perfect from the field making all seven shots !!!). Four Maroussi players scored in double figures. American power forward Kendal Coleman (204-2002, college: CBU) responded with 12 points and 7 rebounds and guard Nikos Diplaros (190-1997) scored 9 points and 8 assists. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Maroussi left bottom position moving up to tenth place, which they share with 4 other teams including defeated Promitheas. Maroussi will meet at home league's leader Olympiacos in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Promitheas will play against Karditsa (#5) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Promitheas: K.Coleman 12+7reb, P.Kouroupakis 11+4reb+2ast, N.Diplaros 9+1reb+8ast, A.Nikolaidis 8+1reb+2ast, J.Forrester 8+1reb, N.Williams 7+2reb+4ast
Maroussi: W.Lance 14+4reb+3ast, L.Michail 13+5reb+5ast, S.Maksim 11+1reb, K.Leonidas 11+4reb+5ast, W.Jordan 10+2reb+7ast, J.Zeb 9+2reb+4ast

Iraklis - PAOK 53-63:
Very predictable result in Thessaloniki where leader PAOK (5-0) beat 10th ranked Iraklis (1-4) 63-53 on Saturday. American Marcus Foster (191-1995, college: Creighton) stepped up and scored 17 points for the winners and Canadian center Kyle Alexander (208-1996, college: Tennessee) chipped in 7 points and 11 rebounds. American swingman Dontrez Styles (198-2002, college: NC State, agency: Slash Sports) responded with 6 points and 5 rebounds and the other American import center Jacob Hutson (211-2002, college: UNI) scored 8 points. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for PAOK. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Olympiacos. Loser Iraklis keeps the tenth place with four games lost. They share the position with 4 other teams. PAOK will meet at home bottom-ranked Vikos (#14) in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Iraklis will play against Mykonos (#12) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Iraklis: J.Lecque 10+1reb+1ast, C.Syllas 9+1reb, J.Hutson 8+3reb+2ast, D.Styles 6+5reb+2ast, N.Horchler 5+4reb, H.Diarra 5+5reb+2ast
PAOK: F.Marcus 17+2reb+1ast, O.Cedi 12+3ast, T.Breein 9+1reb+1ast, A.Kyle 7+11reb, C.Nikos 6+5reb, H.Trevor 5+1reb+1ast

Olympiacos - Peristeri 91-62:
The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Olympiacos as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Olympiacos smashed 5th ranked Peristeri in Piraeus 91-62. Olympiacos dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Peristeri's 14 and made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was Bulgarian Aleksandar Vezenkov (204-1995) who scored 21 points and 7 rebounds. ex-international swingman Omer Netzipoglou (195-2002) chipped in 16 points. The former international center Emmanouil Chatzidakis (208-2000, agency: Octagon Europe) produced 10 points and 6 rebounds and American guard Noah Freidel (193-2000, college: JMU, agency: Diamond Sports) added 8 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the guests. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Olympiacos (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with PAOK. Peristeri at the other side keeps the fifth place with two games lost. They share the position with Karditsa. Peristeri will play next round against Kolossos trying to get back on the winning streak. Olympiacos will try to continue on its current victory against tenth ranked Maroussi in Athens.
Top scorers:
Peristeri: K.Papadakis 12+2ast, E.Chatzidakis 10+6reb+1ast, N.Freidel 8+7reb+1ast, A.Nikolaidis 7+1reb+4ast, T.Anderson 5+3reb+1ast, J.Ittounas 5+2reb
Olympiacos: V.Aleksandar 21+7reb, N.Omer 16+2reb+2ast, J.Cory 12+2reb+2ast, M.Codi 8+2reb+4ast, K.Antonios 6+3reb+4ast, N.Mbaye 6+7reb+2ast

Aris - Panathinaikos 101-91:
Undefeated Panathinaikos (4-1) recorded its first loss in Thessaloniki. Visitors were defeated by fourth ranked Aris (4-1) 101-91. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Panathinaikos. Aris made 28-of-34 charity shots (82.4 percent) during the game. They shot the lights out from three nailing 13 long-distance shots on high 52.0 percentage. Aris players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists. Panathinaikos was plagued by 29 personal fouls down the stretch. French swingman Adam Mokoka (195-1998) orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points. American point guard Matt Morgan (188-1997, college: Cornell) contributed with 21 points for the winners. Aris' coach Igor Milicic allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. French guard Sylvain Francisco (185-1997) answered with 20 points and 5 assists and French forward Guerschon Yabusele (201-1995) added 22 points in the effort for Panathinaikos. Five Aris and four Panathinaikos players scored in double figures. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Aris. They moved-up to third place, which they share with defeated Panathinaikos. Aris will play against Lefkadas (#9) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Panathinaikos' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Athens to the arena AEK.
Top scorers:
Panathinaikos: G.Yabusele 22+3reb+1ast, S.Francisco 20+4reb+5ast, N.Hayes-Davis 17+3reb+1ast, M.Lessort 16+5reb+1ast, K.Nunn 6+4reb+5ast, B.Badio 5+3reb
Aris: M.Matt 21+2ast, M.Adam 19+3reb+1ast, D.Nenad 14+1reb+5ast, T.Vasileios 14+3ast, R.Jeremiah 11+6reb+2ast, B.Khem 8+4reb+1ast