With a day off for the players and fans to rest and see the beautiful city of Santander behind us, we were back at basketball yesterday. The playoffs began in several age groups, as several incredible scoring outbursts were on display. Rafael Penalva Lopez was leading the scoring chart with 37 points, while Raul Respuela recorded an UNBELIEVABLE triple-double.
Biggest win: UD – 40 points (89-49 vs Interwood)
Top scorer: Rafael Penalva Lopez (Margutsa) – 37
Most rebounds: Raul Respuela (Veteranos Torrelavega) – 34
Most assists: Raul Respuela (Veteranos Torrelavega), Romualdas Brazauskas (Perlas) – 11
M40/45
The matchup between Margutsa and BC Sukhum was run by two people – Rafael Penalva Lopez finished with 37 points for the Spaniards, while Dmitry Dzhindzholiya had 32 for the visitors. However, better help from the rest of the team proved to be vital for Margutsa, as they won 90-75.
Perhaps the most incredible performance of this championship was just produced by Veteranos Torrelavega’s Raul Respuela. The 45-year-old led his team in the three main statistical categories with 24 points, 34 rebounds and 11 assists for a whopping 52 efficiency rating. That sort of performance guaranteed his team an 80-60 win over Santander.
The biggest winning margin of the night was once again in the hands of UD, who battered Interwood by 40 points, 89-49. Oleksii Poltoratskyi led the winning side with 20 points in his account.
M50
It was already Playoff basketball in the M50 age group with a very exciting flavor to it. Kalush faced off against Great & Co and had to face their second loss in three games, in a heartbreaking fashion, as it all went down to the final possession. Dmitrii Denisov scored the go-ahead shot with 15 second remaining, as Great & Co won 63-62. They will now face Mercury-Kazan in the Semifinals.
After losing their first game, Lithuanian side Omega Kaunas managed to pocket two victories, defeating Old Guns Germany 72-56, led by 27 points from Arvydas Venclovas. Omega Kaunas now look at Dinamo as their opponent in the next round.
M55
The M55 age group also entered the knock-out stages, with Aladuskin Group barely overtaking Lithuanian team Perlas. The Russians were in control for most of the game, yet it was always a very slim margin. They ended up winning 71-67, powered by a 30-point performance from Valerii Sergeev.
KFU Gorod Kazan knocked out the other Lithuanian team, Atskalunas, after a 21-5 second quarter put them in the driver’s seat. Kamil Khakimullin and Vadim Shvetsov were the engine behind the victory with 19 and 12 points respectively, with Shvestov also adding 17 rebounds.
M60/65/70
CSKA Veterans added another victory to the tally, but Babailar put up a good fight. The Russian capital’s side rose to a 58-51 victory and Victor Petrakov was leading the charts with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Ranga-Statyba got their second victory after defeating Kazan 54-42. The Lithuanians finally broke loose in the fourth quarter and managed to close the game safely ahead. Arvydas Stasaitis and Vitoldas Masalskis were the leading scorers with 12 points apiece.
W50/55
Seduvos Malunos earned an easy victory against go4champ, as the ladies from Seduva won 55-37. Susanne Pflueger put up a neat double-double for the Germans with 12 points and 13 rebounds, but it was ultimately Jolanta Ziauniene with the smile on her face, as she led the game with 13 points and finished with a victory.
BC Svaja, another Lithuanian team, also took a big win, as they cruised past AMIDE Basketball Friends 78-50. Loreta Stanciauskiene put up big numbers on the board, as she collected an 18+13 double-double.
W50/55
Koshki had no trouble against Zeltenes Latvia, as they controlled the whole game and advanced with a 76-41 win. The Ukrainian ladies were led by an outstanding performance by Oliga Macovchina, who played the full 40 minutes and had 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Maximum, International proved defense paves the way to victories, as they only allowed 29 points in their basket. With a 44-29 win, they now have a 3-0 record. Tatjana Susnica Relic and Elena Turetckaia were the leaders in this game, as they both had a double-double. Relic contributed 13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, while Turetckaia had 10 points and 10 boards.
