Super Liga Round 5 (Regular Season): Derby game ends with Rabotnicki's defeat of Madzari 2003

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Skopje: Rabotnicki (#1) and Madzari 2003 (#8). Madzari 2003 was defeated at home 79-89 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. Rabotnicki dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Madzari 2003's 34. They outrebounded Madzari 2003 42-27 including a 32-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. Rabotnicki looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. 24 personal fouls committed by Madzari 2003 helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Bosnian-Croatian center Robert Rikic (219-1990, agency: AltusBasket) orchestrated the victory by scoring 29 points and 8 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). American-Hungarian point guard Darrin Govens (185-1988, college: St.Joseph's) contributed with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. American guard Cameron Jones (198-1999, college: McNeese St.) answered with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists for Madzari 2003. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Undefeated Rabotnicki (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with a perfect record of 5 victories in a row. Madzari 2003 at the other side dropped to the ninth position with four games lost. They share it with Sokoli 1933. Rabotnicki are looking forward to face Kozuv (#4) in Gevgelija in the next round. Madzari 2003's supporters also look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Skopje MZT Skopje.
Very important is a road loss of third ranked Kozuv (3-2) against fourth ranked Kumanovo MK (3-2) on Sunday night. Visiting Kozuv was defeated by Kumanovo MK in Kumanovo 91-74. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Kozuv. American guard Cameron Gooden (182-1998, college: Utah Tech, agency: One Motive Sports) stepped up and scored 21 points and 5 rebounds for the winners and Bojan Krstevski chipped in 19 points and 7 rebounds. Nikola Bojchev (192-2004) responded with 22 points and 5 assists. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Kumanovo MK moved-up to third place, which they share with defeated Kozuv. Kumanovo MK will play against TFT (#8) in Skopje in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Kozuv will play on the road against the league's leader Rabotnicki (#1) in Skopje and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Sokoli 1933's fans can celebrate the first win of their team after four consecutive losses. The victory is especially important as they defeated much higher ranked Strumica (2-3) 87-81 on Saturday. Cam Hamilton nailed 19 points, 9 assists and 5 steals for the winning side. Malique Jacobs came up with 19 points and 7 assists for Strumica in the defeat. Sokoli 1933 (1-4) left bottom position moving up to ninth place, which they share with Madzari 2003. Loser Strumica dropped to the fifth position with three games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Sokoli 1933 will meet higher ranked Pelister (#7) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Strumica will play against Tikvesh and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

In the last two games of round 5 Pelister was beaten by MZT Skopje on the road 74-60. Tikvesh won against TFT on its own court 77-74.
The most impressive performance of 5th round was 24 points and 4 assists by Tederick Wolfe of Tikvesh.



Madzari 2003 - Rabotnicki 79-89:
The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Skopje: Rabotnicki (#1) and Madzari 2003 (#8). Madzari 2003 was defeated at home 79-89 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. Rabotnicki dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Madzari 2003's 34. They outrebounded Madzari 2003 42-27 including a 32-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. Rabotnicki looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. 24 personal fouls committed by Madzari 2003 helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Bosnian-Croatian center Robert Rikic (219-1990, agency: AltusBasket) orchestrated the victory by scoring 29 points and 8 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). American-Hungarian point guard Darrin Govens (185-1988, college: St.Joseph's) contributed with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. American guard Cameron Jones (198-1999, college: McNeese St.) answered with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists and the other American import forward Collin Parker (203-2003, college: Austin Peay) added 23 points and 9 rebounds in the effort for Madzari 2003. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Rabotnicki (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with a perfect record of 5 victories in a row. Madzari 2003 at the other side dropped to the ninth position with four games lost. They share it with Sokoli 1933. Rabotnicki are looking forward to face Kozuv (#4) in Gevgelija in the next round. Madzari 2003's supporters also look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Skopje MZT Skopje.
Top scorers:
Rabotnicki: R.Robert 29+8reb, G.Darrin 14+6reb+8ast, E.Viktor 10+2reb+2ast, R.Damjan 9+6reb+5ast, N.Kristijan 9+1reb+3ast, P.Luka 6+3reb+1ast
Madzari 2003: C.Parker 23+9reb+1ast, C.Jones 18+7reb+10ast, M.Milovanovikj 10+1reb, S.Mladenovski 8+3reb, B.Stojanovski 6+5reb+1ast, K.Blazevski 6

Sokoli 1933 - Strumica 87-81:
Sokoli 1933's fans can celebrate the first win of their team after four consecutive losses. The victory is especially important as they defeated much higher ranked Strumica (2-3) 87-81 on Saturday. Sokoli 1933 looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American point guard Cam Hamilton (180-1999, college: Valdosta St.) nailed 19 points, 9 assists and 5 steals for the winning side and swingman Ivica Dimcevski (195-1989) accounted for 20 points and 6 rebounds. American guard Malique Jacobs (190-2000, college: Kent St.) came up with 19 points and 7 assists and ex-international forward Dimitar Pandev (208-1997, college: IU Indy) added 17 points and 10 rebounds respectively for Strumica in the defeat. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Sokoli 1933 (1-4) left bottom position moving up to ninth place, which they share with Madzari 2003. Loser Strumica dropped to the fifth position with three games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Sokoli 1933 will meet higher ranked Pelister (#7) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Strumica will play against Tikvesh and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sokoli 1933: D.Ivica 20+6reb+3ast, K.Nikola 19+5reb+2ast, H.Cam 19+4reb+9ast, P.Jay 17+5reb+2ast, K.Aleksandar 12+3reb+4ast, M.Mihajlo 0+1reb
Strumica: M.Jacobs 19+4reb+7ast, D.Pandev 17+10reb, M.Harris 15+9reb+1ast, K.Petar 11+3reb+1ast, C.Crawford 10+8reb+3ast, L.Dimitrievski 8+3reb+2ast

Kumanovo MK - Kozuv 91-74:
Very important is a road loss of third ranked Kozuv (3-2) against fourth ranked Kumanovo MK (3-2) on Sunday night. Visiting Kozuv was defeated by Kumanovo MK in Kumanovo 91-74. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Kozuv. Kumanovo MK made 18-of-21 charity shots (85.7 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Kozuv 40-21 including 28 on the defensive glass. American guard Cameron Gooden (182-1998, college: Utah Tech, agency: One Motive Sports) stepped up and scored 21 points and 5 rebounds for the winners and ex-international power forward Bojan Krstevski (206-1989, agency: BIG) chipped in 19 points and 7 rebounds. Five Kumanovo MK players scored in double figures. Nikola Bojchev (192-2004) responded with 22 points and 5 assists and American forward Nigel Burris (201-2003, college: Weber St.) scored 17 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Kumanovo MK moved-up to third place, which they share with defeated Kozuv. Kumanovo MK will play against TFT (#8) in Skopje in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Kozuv will play on the road against the league's leader Rabotnicki (#1) in Skopje and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kumanovo MK: G.Cameron 21+5reb+3ast, K.Bojan 19+7reb+2ast, S.Boban 16+3reb+6ast, S.Andreja 14+5reb+1ast, F.Stefan 12+12reb+3ast, R.Dimitrievski 7+4reb+1ast
Kozuv: N.Bojchev 22+5ast, N.Burris 17+5reb, T.Armstrong 12+4reb+6ast, S.Simic 9+7reb+3ast, D.Krstevski 8+3reb, J.Kuzmanov 3

MZT Skopje - Pelister 74-60:
No shocking result in a game when second ranked MZT Skopje (4-1) beat at home 5th ranked Pelister (2-3) 74-60 on Sunday. The former international Andrej Andonoski (201-2002) nailed 8 points and 14 rebounds for the winning side and ex-international swingman Vojdan Stojanovski (194-1987) accounted for 13 points and 7 rebounds. Serbian guard Nikola Kocovic (197-1996, agency: 011 Sports) came up with 10 points and 4 assists and Ecuadorian forward Alonzo Range (198-1998) added 10 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Pelister in the defeat. Pelister's coach Tane Spasev rotated twelve players saving starting five for next games. Defending champion maintains second place with 4-1 record behind leader Rabotnicki. Loser Pelister keeps the fifth position with three games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. MZT Skopje's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Skopje to the arena Madzari 2003.
Top scorers:
MZT Skopje: S.Luka 18+1reb, S.Vojdan 13+7reb+3ast, K.Emir 12+5reb+1ast, A.Andonoski 8+14reb+1ast, A.Maslinko 7+4reb+3ast, T.Tadija 7+3reb+3ast
Pelister: B.Dimitriev 12+1reb+2ast, A.Range 10+6reb, N.Kocovic 10+4reb+4ast, V.Zlatevski 10+4reb, L.Savikjevikj 7+6reb+2ast, C.Wilson 6+7reb+2ast

Tikvesh - TFT 77-74:
There was a minor upset when 7th ranked TFT (2-3) was edged by ninth ranked Tikvesh (2-3) in Kavadarci 77-74 on Saturday. Tikvesh looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American swingman Tederick Wolfe (196-1997, college: Wayland Baptist, agency: Dominion Sports Group) nailed 24 points and 4 assists for the winning side and Serbian Stefan Gligorijevic (205-1998) accounted for 19 points and 8 rebounds. Wolfe is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Tikvesh players scored in double figures. Georgi Zafirov (194-1997, agency: BIG) came up with 18 points and 4 assists and American forward Nakavieon White (201-2002, college: Georgia South) added 14 points and 5 rebounds respectively for TFT in the defeat. Tikvesh moved-up to fifth place, which they share with 3 other teams including defeated TFT. Tikvesh will meet Strumica (#5) on the road in the next round. TFT will play against Kumanovo MK and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tikvesh: W.Tederick 24+4reb+4ast, G.Stefan 19+8reb+3ast, S.Jeremy 13+1reb+8ast, S.Davion 12+8reb+4ast, T.Zlatev 4+3reb+2ast, K.Angel 3+4reb
TFT: G.Zafirov 18+1reb+4ast, N.White 14+5reb+2ast, T.Stojanoski 12+4reb+2ast, N.Strahil 8+7reb+1ast, S.Sylla 8+9reb+2ast, A.Louis 8+4ast