A Division Round 23 (Regular Season): Atomeromu edges Sopron KC by two points

The Regular Season in A Division is slowly approaching the end. But there may be still some important changes in the final standings in the last 3 rounds. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 23 in the A Division took place in Sopron. This derby game ended with only two-point home defeat of 8th ranked Sopron KC (10-13) to sixth ranked Atomeromu (14-9) 69-67 on Saturday evening. Atomeromu made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was U.S. Virgin Islands guard Deon Edwin (192-1992, college: Kent St.) who scored 14 points and 4 assists. The former international swingman Szilard Benke (197-1995, agency: LHZ Sport Agency) chipped in 14 points. American point guard Taz Sherman (194-1999, college: WVU) produced 24 points for the hosts. Atomeromu have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Alba and DEAC. Sopron KC lost seventh consecutive game. They keep the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Kormend. Atomeromu is looking forward to face DEAC (#5) in Debrecen in the next round. Sopron KC will play on the road against Kaposvari and is hoping to prove to their supporters that they can break losing series.
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Szombathely (17-6) against fifth ranked Alba (14-9) on Saturday night. Visiting Szombathely was defeated by Alba in Szekesfehervar 91-80. Serbian point guard Strahinja Jovanovic (185-1996) orchestrated the victory by scoring 26 points and 5 assists. Marcell Pongo contributed with 20 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Serbian forward Aleksa Novakovic (200-1996, college: EIU) answered with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for Szombathely. Alba moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Atomeromu and DEAC. Szombathely at the other side keeps the second position with six games lost. Alba will play against bottom-ranked OSE Lions (#14) in Oraszlany in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Szombathely will play at home against Kormend (#9) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Szolnok. First ranked Szolnok faced 4th placed DEAC. Host Szolnok (21-2) smashed guests from Debrecen (14-9) 117-82. It was a great evening for Marton Molnar who led his team to a victory scoring 26 points and 8 rebounds (on 13-of-16 shooting from the field). Danilo Ostojic responded with 17 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Defending champion maintains first place with 21-2 record. Loser DEAC keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. They share it with Alba and Atomeromu. Szolnok will meet ZTE KK (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. DEAC will play against Atomeromu (#6) in Paks and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Other games of round 23 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
bottom-ranked OSE Lions were defeated by Honved in Budapest 79-62. Kormend beat ZTE KK at home 96-82. Bottom-ranked Szedeak won against Duna Aszfalt on the opponent's court 68-53. NKA Pecs unfortunately lost to Kaposvari in a home game 90-103.



Alba - Szombathely 91-80

Very important is a road loss of second ranked Szombathely (17-6) against fifth ranked Alba (14-9) on Saturday night. Visiting Szombathely was defeated by Alba in Szekesfehervar 91-80. Szombathely was plagued by 26 personal fouls down the stretch. Serbian point guard Strahinja Jovanovic (185-1996) orchestrated the victory by scoring 26 points and 5 assists. The former international point guard Marcell Pongo (193-1997, agency: LHZ Sport Agency) contributed with 20 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Serbian forward Aleksa Novakovic (200-1996, college: EIU) answered with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and the former international guard Zoltan Perl (195-1995) added 15 points and 6 assists in the effort for Szombathely. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Alba moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Atomeromu and DEAC. Szombathely at the other side keeps the second position with six games lost. Alba will play against bottom-ranked OSE Lions (#14) in Oraszlany in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Szombathely will play at home against Kormend (#9) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Alba: J.Strahinja 26+2reb+5ast, P.Marcell 20+9reb+3ast, S.Milic 11+2reb+2ast, O.Godwin 11+8reb, B.Isaiah 9+5reb, S.Filipovic 7+3reb
Szombathely: A.Novakovic 19+5reb+4ast, Z.Perl 15+3reb+6ast, A.Keller 12+8reb, T.Peterson 11+4reb+4ast, K.Bognar 8+4reb+2ast, M.Filipovity 7+3reb

Honved - OSE Lions 79-62

There was no surprise in Budapest where 14th ranked OSE Lions (5-18) were defeated by seventh ranked Honved (13-10) 79-62 on Saturday. Honved made 22-of-28 free shots (78.6 percent) during the game. It was a great evening for American guard Brandon Rush (193, college: YSU, agency: Olsta) who led his team to a victory scoring 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Serbian Milos Glisic (205-1998) helped adding 18 points and 5 rebounds. The former international power forward Kornel Csuti (205-2004) responded with 17 points and 5 rebounds and Bosnian forward Ismet Sejfic (208-1993) scored 9 points and 6 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Honved. They maintain seventh place with 13-10 record. Loser OSE Lions stay at the bottom position with 18 games lost. Honved will meet Duna Aszfalt (#13) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. OSE Lions will play against Alba and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Honved: R.Brandon 25+7reb+5ast, G.Milos 18+5reb+2ast, A.Kopacsi 9, D.Djordje 8+2reb+5ast, O.Chuck 6+3reb+1ast, I.Keller 5+2reb
OSE Lions: C.Kornel 17+5reb, B.Randolph 10+1reb+2ast, I.Sejfic 9+6reb, E.Sertovic 9+4reb+1ast, A.Balsay 7+1reb+2ast, Z.Takacs 5+9reb

Kormend - ZTE KK 96-82

The game between closely ranked teams ended with ninth ranked Kormend's (10-13) home victory over 10th ranked ZTE KK (8-15) 96-82 on Saturday. Kormend made 25-of-31 free shots (80.6 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. The game was dominated by American players. It was a great evening for point guard Jalen Moore (180-1999, college: Oakland) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Swingman Kyle Foster (197-1998, college: Howard) helped adding 30 points. Four Kormend players scored in double figures. Forward Hasan Varence (198-1997, college: Ohio Dominican) responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 13 rebounds and point guard Jaylin Hunter (183-2000, college: Ohio) scored 22 points and 8 assists. ZTE KK's coach Konstantinos Mexas rotated ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for Kormend. They moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Sopron KC. Loser ZTE KK keeps the tenth position with 15 games lost. They share it with NKA Pecs. Kormend will meet league's second-placed Szombathely on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. ZTE KK will play against the league's leader Szolnok (#1) and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Kormend: F.Kyle 30+2reb, K.Durazi 19+10reb+2ast, M.Jalen 19+6reb+11ast, B.Kiss 10+1reb+2ast, G.Nate 7+3reb+2ast, I.Tomislav 7+5reb+5ast
ZTE KK: H.Varence 22+13reb+1ast, J.Hunter 22+1reb+8ast, A.Toth 14+4reb+1ast, J.Bibbs 9, K.Csaba 7+1reb+1ast, S.Gatling 5+6reb+4ast

Duna Aszfalt - Szedeak 53-68

There was a minor upset in Kecskemet where 12th ranked Duna Aszfalt (6-17) was defeated by fourteenth ranked Szedeak (6-17) 68-53 on Wednesday. Szedeak dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Duna Aszfalt's 24. Szedeak looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was a great evening for American center Keegan Records (208-2000, college: Colgate) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line). Serbian swingman Djordje Drenovac (200-1992) helped adding 14 points and 7 rebounds. Montenegrin Bojan Tomasevic (201-2001) responded with 9 points and 8 rebounds and Finnish point guard Ilari Seppala (188-1993, agency: BIG) scored 11 points and 4 assists. Szedeak moved-up to twelfth place, which they share with defeated Duna Aszfalt. Duna Aszfalt lost their fourth game in a row. Szedeak will meet at home higher ranked NKA Pecs (#11) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Duna Aszfalt will play against Honved and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Szedeak: R.Keegan 27+13reb+1ast, D.Djordje 14+7reb+3ast, B.Cseh 12+6reb+3ast, V.Vulikic 6+1reb+13ast, B.Neuwirth 3+1reb, A.David 2+3reb
Duna Aszfalt: I.Seppala 11+2reb+4ast, T.Bojan 9+8reb, O.Jarvi 7+2reb, D.Dautovic 7+3reb, M.White 6+2reb+1ast, W.Krisztian 5+3reb+4ast

NKA Pecs - Kaposvari 90-103

Very predictable result when third ranked Kaposvari (15-8) beat on the road 11th ranked NKA Pecs (8-15) 103-90 on Saturday. Kaposvari forced 22 NKA Pecs turnovers. It was a great evening for American point guard Darrion Trammell (178-2000, college: SDSU) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 24 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals. His fellow American import forward Jordan Brown (211-1999, college: Memphis) helped adding 23 points and 8 rebounds. Kaposvari's coach Branislav Dzunic used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Bosnian power forward Ibrahim Durmo (202-1997) responded with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 14 rebounds and naturalized Serbian forward Aleksa Brbaklic (195-1995) produced a double-double by scoring 11 points and 12 rebounds. Four Kaposvari and five NKA Pecs players scored in double figures. The victory was the third consecutive win for Kaposvari. Newly promoted Kaposvari maintains third place with 15-8 record having six points less than leader Szolnok. Loser NKA Pecs dropped to the tenth position with 15 games lost. They share it with ZTE KK. Kaposvari will meet at home Sopron KC (#8) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. NKA Pecs will play against Szedeak in Szeged and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kaposvari: T.Darrion 24+5reb+10ast, B.Jordan 23+8reb+1ast, W.Mylik 15+6reb+4ast, U.Rosic 14+2reb+3ast, B.Simon 9+3reb, W.Anthony 9+11reb+1ast
NKA Pecs: I.Durmo 19+14reb+2ast, R.Abell 18+5reb+1ast, O.Carapic 13+5reb+6ast, G.Meleg 11+5reb+1ast, A.Brbaklic 11+12reb+3ast, I.Marinkovic 8+4reb+1ast

Sopron KC - Atomeromu 67-69

The most exciting game of round 23 in the A Division took place in Sopron. This derby game ended with only two-point home defeat of 8th ranked Sopron KC (10-13) to sixth ranked Atomeromu (14-9) 69-67 on Saturday evening. Atomeromu made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was U.S. Virgin Islands guard Deon Edwin (192-1992, college: Kent St.) who scored 14 points and 4 assists. The former international swingman Szilard Benke (197-1995, agency: LHZ Sport Agency) chipped in 14 points. American point guard Taz Sherman (194-1999, college: WVU) produced 24 points and point guard Robert Meszlenyi (194-2004) added 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for the hosts. Atomeromu have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Alba and DEAC. Sopron KC lost seventh consecutive game. They keep the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Kormend. Atomeromu is looking forward to face DEAC (#5) in Debrecen in the next round. Sopron KC will play on the road against Kaposvari and is hoping to prove to their supporters that they can break losing series.
Top scorers:
Atomeromu: E.Deon 14+3reb+4ast, B.Szilard 14+4reb+2ast, E.Janos 13+5reb+1ast, B.Trevon 9+6reb+2ast, E.Zena 8+9reb, S.Jamari 5+2reb
Sopron KC: T.Sherman 24+4reb+1ast, P.Hajdu 16+6reb, R.Meszlenyi 14+6reb+4ast, J.Patton 5+2reb+3ast, F.Zalan 3+2reb+1ast, D.Kucsera 3+8reb+1ast

Szolnok - DEAC 117-82

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Szolnok. First ranked Szolnok faced 4th placed DEAC. Host Szolnok (21-2) smashed guests from Debrecen (14-9) 117-82. Szolnok looked well-organized offensively handing out 41 assists comparing to just 19 passes made by DEAC's players. It was a great evening for the former international power forward Marton Molnar (209-1994) who led his team to a victory scoring 26 points and 8 rebounds (on 13-of-16 shooting from the field). International point guard Adam Somogyi (193-2000) helped adding 10 points and 15 assists. Serbian power forward Danilo Ostojic (205-1996) responded with 17 points and American guard Marcus Tyus (185-1994, college: Omaha) 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. Defending champion maintains first place with 21-2 record. Loser DEAC keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. They share it with Alba and Atomeromu. Szolnok will meet ZTE KK (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. DEAC will play against Atomeromu (#6) in Paks and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Szolnok: M.Marton 26+8reb+1ast, D.Le'Tre 18+3reb+1ast, B.Auston 15+1reb, R.Gabor 12+2reb+3ast, W.Szymon 11+6reb, T.Pallai 11+3reb+2ast
DEAC: M.Tyus 17+2reb+3ast, D.Ostojic 17+4reb+3ast, T.Wade 11+4reb+1ast, G.Csongor 10, B.Subotic 7+6reb+2ast, A.Kovacs 6+2ast