Round 2 (Regular Season): VEF Riga lose to TalTech

There were only 2 rounds played so far and it's still very beginning of the Regular Season in Lat-Est BL. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Latvian VEF Riga recorded a loss in Tallinn on Saturday night. Visitors were edged by Estonian TalTech 80-78. They made 16-of-19 free shots (84.2 percent) during the game. 25 personal fouls committed by VEF Riga helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was guard Kasper Suurorg (199-2002, college: SFC) who scored 27 points. Taavi Jurkatamm (204-1997, college: USF) chipped in 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. American guard Brendan Adams (193-2000, college: GWU) produced 22 points and 7 rebounds for the guests. TalTech are looking forward to face Viimsi at home in the next round which should be an easy win for them. VEF Riga will play against BK Ogre and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
One of the most interesting games of round 2 was a derby match between two teams from Estonia. Parnu won against visiting Keila 83-66. Dutch center Menno Dijkstra (213-1997, college: UC Riverside) orchestrated the victory by scoring 18 points and 6 rebounds. Isaiah Hart contributed with 13 points and 7 assists for the winners. Latvian Karlis Zunda (198-1997) replied with 17 points and 6 rebounds for Keila. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
The game in Riga supposed to be also quite interesting. Estonian Keila played at the court of Latvian Rigas Z.. Rigas Z. smashed Keila 77-56 on Saturday. Davids Viksne had a double-double by scoring 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners. Luka Majstorovic responded with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 12 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. Rigas Z. will meet Valmiera Glass on the road in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Keila will have a break next round.

Rest of the games of round 2 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Ventspils defeated Tartu in a road game 88-83. Winless BK Ogre was beaten by Rapla at home 75-77. Winless Valmiera Glass lost to undefeated Tallinna Kalev on the opponent's court 79-87. Prometey outscored Viimsi in a home game 106-61.
The best stats of 2nd round was 14 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists by Zigmars Raimo of Rigas Z..



Parnu - Keila 83-66

One of the most interesting games of round 2 was a derby match between two teams from Estonia. Parnu won against visiting Keila 83-66. Dutch center Menno Dijkstra (213-1997, college: UC Riverside) orchestrated the victory by scoring 18 points and 6 rebounds. American point guard Isaiah Hart (180-1999, college: AUM) contributed with 13 points and 7 assists for the winners. Five Parnu players scored in double figures. Latvian Karlis Zunda (198-1997) replied with 17 points and 6 rebounds and Ukrainian forward Andrii Myronenko (200-1994, agency: BIG) added 14 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Keila. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Parnu: M.Dijkstra 18+6reb, I.Tamm 15+3reb+2ast, R.Valge 14+6reb+1ast, I.Hart 13+4reb+7ast, M.Kegler 13+7reb+1ast, S.Aav 5+2reb
Keila: K.Zunda 17+6reb+3ast, A.Myronenko 14+6reb+1ast, K.Kristen 11+3reb+1ast, L.Majstorovic 8+9reb+2ast, K.Johnson 7+3reb+3ast, K.Saks 6+1reb

Tartu - Ventspils 83-88

There was no surprise when Estonian Tartu was defeated at home by Latvian Ventspils 88-83 on Friday. Ventspils forced 22 Tartu turnovers. Linards Jaunzems (200-1995) had a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Ishmael El-Amin (190-1998, college: URI) chipped in 17 points and 13 rebounds during the contest. Mart Rosenthal (192-1999) responded with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and American forward Johnny Hughes III (203-1997, college: UIW) produced a double-double by scoring 15 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Four Tartu players scored in double figures. Tartu's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Ventspils: L.Jaunzems 22+12reb+2ast, I.El-Amin 17+13reb+3ast, A.Ausejs 14+1reb+5ast, E.Mezulis 9+5reb+1ast, R.Birkans 8+2reb+8ast, R.Zakis 8+3reb
Tartu: M.Rosenthal 27+6reb+6ast, R.Malmanis 16+7reb+1ast, J.Hughes III 15+11reb+2ast, R.Kivi 14+1reb, R.Veideman 4+1reb+3ast, A.Shundel 2+2reb+2ast

BK Ogre - Rapla 75-77

But BK Ogre was not able to use a home court advantage and was edged by the opponent from Rapla 77-75 on Friday night. Rapla forced 23 BK Ogre turnovers. Strangely BK Ogre outrebounded Rapla 46-30 including a 34-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. Point guard Rait-Riivo Laane (179-1993) scored 17 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Ukrainian Volodymyr Shevchenko (200-1994, agency: BIG) chipped in 13 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. Four Rapla players scored in double figures. Latvian Karlis Apsitis (201-1992) responded with 20 points and 6 rebounds and Lithuanian center Matas Jucikas (205-1994, agency: BIG) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. BK Ogre's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Rapla will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. BK Ogre will play against VEF Riga and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Rapla: R.Laane 17+6reb+3ast, E.Hunter Jr. 13+2reb+5ast, V.Shevchenko 13+7reb, O.Tomic 12+4reb+1ast, N.Gosnell 10+3reb, T.Niits 6+5reb+3ast
BK Ogre: K.Mediss 21+1reb+3ast, K.Apsitis 20+6reb+2ast, M.Jucikas 14+10reb+1ast, A.Corum 8+1reb+1ast, R.Zebergs 4+3reb+3ast, G.Kampuss 3+4reb+1ast

Tallinna Kalev - Valmiera Glass 87-79

Very expected game when Latvian Valmiera Glass were defeated on the road by Estonian Tallinna Kalev 87-79 on Saturday. Erik Keedus (199-1990, agency: Players Group) scored 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Kelvin Robinson (188-1998, college: CBC) chipped in 16 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Tallinna Kalev's coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Guntis Sipolins (207-1993) responded with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and Latvian Edgars Kaufmanis (193-1999, college: Bemidji St.) scored 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Tallinna Kalev will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Valmiera Glass will play against Rigas Z. and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Tallinna Kalev: E.Keedus 18+9reb+5ast, K.Robinson 16+6reb+3ast, D.Tykhonov 15+6reb, M.Jaakson 11+3reb+1ast, M.Paiste 11+2reb+2ast, T.Raadik 7+2reb+1ast
Valmiera Glass: G.Sipolins 18+9reb+4ast, E.Kaufmanis 14+5reb+4ast, S.Knight 13+7reb+1ast, T.Cherry 13+5reb, E.Elksnis 9+5reb+6ast, M.Zeliznak 8+3reb+1ast

Prometey - Viimsi 106-61

Very predictable result in Kamianske where Ukrainian Prometey outscored Estonian Viimsi 106-61 on Saturday. Prometey dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Viimsi's 30. They outrebounded Viimsi 41-29 including 29 on the defensive glass. Prometey looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. Point guard Issuf Sanon (194-1999) scored 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Czech center Ondrej Balvin (217-1992, agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in 16 points (perfect from the field making all six shots) during the contest. Five Prometey players scored in double figures. Stefan Vaaks (191-2005) responded with 16 points and Estonian point guard Oliver Suurorg (194-2000) scored 6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Prometey will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Viimsi will play against TalTech in Tallinn and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Prometey: I.Sanon 16+7reb+4ast, O.Balvin 16+2reb+1ast, M.Keene 13+1reb+5ast, T.Odiase 12+7reb, O.Lypovyy 11+3reb+1ast, V.Bobrov 8+2reb+1ast
Viimsi: V.Stefan 16+1reb+2ast, R.Jorgen 11+3reb+1ast, L.Ron 7+3reb+1ast, O.Suurorg 6+6reb+6ast, K.Kokk 6+4reb+1ast, A.Kovalov 5+4reb+1ast

TalTech - VEF Riga 80-78

Latvian VEF Riga recorded a loss in Tallinn on Saturday night. Visitors were edged by Estonian TalTech 80-78. They made 16-of-19 free shots (84.2 percent) during the game. 25 personal fouls committed by VEF Riga helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was guard Kasper Suurorg (199-2002, college: SFC) who scored 27 points. Taavi Jurkatamm (204-1997, college: USF) chipped in 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Four TalTech players scored in double figures. American guard Brendan Adams (193-2000, college: GWU) produced 22 points and 7 rebounds and Maris Gulbis (201-1985, agency: Players Group) added 23 points and 5 rebounds respectively for the guests. TalTech are looking forward to face Viimsi at home in the next round which should be an easy win for them. VEF Riga will play against BK Ogre and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
TalTech: K.Suurorg 27+4reb+2ast, T.Jurkatamm 14+8reb+2ast, O.Metsalu 12+5reb+2ast, R.Andre 11+3reb+2ast, G.Ilves 7+2reb, P.Saal 5+3reb
VEF Riga: M.Gulbis 23+5reb+1ast, B.Adams 22+7reb+2ast, R.Berzins 11+2reb+3ast, A.Jones 8+2reb, I.Pineiro 6+3reb, A.Putans 4+3reb+1ast

Rigas Z. - Keila 77-56

The game in Riga supposed to be also quite interesting. Estonian Keila played at the court of Latvian Rigas Z.. Rigas Z. smashed Keila 77-56 on Saturday. They outrebounded Keila 53-30 including a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. Davids Viksne (195-2000) had a double-double by scoring 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Zigmars Raimo (200-1997, college: Hawaii) chipped in 14 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists during the contest. Serbian center Luka Majstorovic (208-1996, college: Embry Riddle) responded with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 12 rebounds and American point guard Kevin Johnson (183-1999, college: UIC) scored 14 points and 4 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Rigas Z. will meet Valmiera Glass on the road in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Keila will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Rigas Z.: D.Viksne 19+13reb+2ast, F.Lacis 16+6reb+2ast, Z.Raimo 14+14reb+5ast, U.Pinete 8+2reb+1ast, A.Strelnieks 7+6reb+1ast, B.Rihards 5+2reb+2ast
Keila: L.Majstorovic 20+12reb, K.Johnson 14+2reb+4ast, A.Myronenko 11+7reb, K.Zunda 8+3reb+3ast, K.Kristen 3+3reb+4ast, S.Kermo 0