A remarkable performance from the fighting Peristeri that almost shocked Olympiakos – In the end, however, the Piraeus team showed character and secured the victory-qualification (79-74) in the final
Olympiakos indeed advanced to the final, having defeated Peristeri (79-74), but it raised concerns with its performance. An excellent showing from the team of the western suburbs that won the impressions.
The match
Olympiakos started the game with the lineup of Walkup, Fournier at “2”, Papapetrou, Vezenkov, and Wright, while Peristeri entered the court with Poulanitis, Carberry, Pappas, Kofi, and Patton. The team from the western suburbs came into the game strongly with two consecutive three-pointers (2-6), exhibiting excellent ball movement, while the Piraeus team struggled defensively in the first few minutes. Fournier leveled the score with a three-pointer (8-8), but then Peristeri took the lead with +6 (11-17), already having 6 assists and no turnovers. The Piraeus players then… woke up, with Vezenkov hitting a three-pointer to give the lead (18-17) at the 7′ mark. The end of the first quarter saw Giorgos Bartzokas’s players leading 22-19.
In the second period, Olympiakos returned to the court with Vildozas, Goss, Dorsey, Peters, and Petrusev, with the latter making a great effort to set the score at 26-19. The Piraeus team had good ball movement, and Dorsey hit a three-pointer to increase the difference to +12 (34-22) at 16′, controlling the pace of the game. Peristeri reacted (34-31) with Eddy, finishing the first half at 41-34. There were quite a few errors (7-8) from both teams in the first twenty minutes.
In the second half, Olympiakos returned to the court with Walkup, Dorsey, Fournier, Vezenkov, and Wright, with Carberry cutting the gap with a three-pointer (43-41). Peristeri looked into the eyes of their great opponent, continuously creating open shots after good ball movement, making things difficult for the Piraeus team. Pappas drove to give his team the lead again, while Kofi hit a three-pointer to set the score at 47-51. The excellent Peristeri had gained confidence and displayed competitive spirit on the court, with Carberry extending the lead to +8 (49-57) at 26′. In just 6 minutes, Olympiakos had conceded 26 points, with 0/5 on three-pointers. The end of the period saw Peristeri leading with a score of 60-63.
In the final period, the battles intensified on the court, with Walkup from the corner giving the lead to Olympiakos (67-65) at 33′. The exceptional Eddy replied with a three-pointer (70-68), Kofi finished excellent plays (74-72 at 36′), as the fighting Peristeri refused to give up. Goss, Vildozas, Walkup, Peters, and Petrusev continued on the court, with Vezenkov returning to the lineup and with a nice basket (79-72)… sealing the game at 39′. In the end, Olympiakos secured the victory qualification with 79-74.
THE QUARTERS: 22-19, 41-34, 60-63, 79-74
OLYMPIAKOS (Bartzokas): Walkup 5 (1/5 three-pointers, 6 assists), Wright 7 (5 rebounds, 2 blocks), Vezenkov 20 (6/8 two-pointers, 2/3 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws, 4 rebounds), Papapetrou 2, Fournier 7 (1), Williams-Goss 6 (2/7 shooting, 3 assists), Vildozas 4 (1/7 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), Dorsey 7 (1/6 three-pointers), Peters 3 (1 three-pointer, 9 rebounds), Petrusev 18 (7/8 two-pointers, 4/7 free throws, 9 rebounds)
PERISTERI (Limniatis): Kofi 19 (6/8 two-pointers, 2/4 three-pointers, 1/2 free throws, 4 rebounds), Pappas 7 (1/6 three-pointers), Poulanitis 6 (2), Patton 11 (4/5 two-pointers, 1/1 three-pointer, 4 rebounds), Carberry 15 (1/6 two-pointers, 3/6 three-pointers, 3/4 free throws, 4 rebounds, 7 assists), Xanthopoulos 2, Avdalas (0/6 shooting), Eddy 12 (2/5 two-pointers, 2/3 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws, 4 rebounds), Zougris 3 (7 rebounds)
The team statistics for Olympiakos: 21/30 two-pointers, 7/32 three-pointers, 16/25 free throws, 43 rebounds (26 defensive – 17 offensive), 17 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 13 turnovers, 17 fouls
The team statistics for Peristeri: 16/33 two-pointers, 11/26 three-pointers, 9/14 free throws, 32 rebounds (22 defensive – 10 offensive), 21 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 15 turnovers, 24 fouls