LDC Round 7 of Regular Season: Closs saves the Day!!

Santiago Basket - Capitanes 79-78

A very close game took place in Santiago (derby !!!) between Santiago Basket and Capitanes. Seventh ranked Santiago Basket (2-8) got a very close home victory over 5th ranked Capitanes (3-4). Santiago Basket managed to escape with a 1-point win 79-78 on Friday evening thanks to ex NBA legend Keith Closs. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Capitanes. American forward Jacob Martin (196, college: Northwestern) stepped up and scored 22 points and 5 rebounds for the winners and Amet Gil (191-1988) chipped in 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Martin is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Francisco Germosen responded with 20 points and Joan Santos scored 15 points and 8 rebounds. Five Capitanes players scored in double figures. Santiago Basket moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Santiago Max. Loser Capitanes keep the fifth position with four games lost. Santiago Basket's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Santiago to the arena Mambas.
Top scorers:
Capitanes: G.Francisco 20+4reb+3ast, S.Joan 15+8reb, M.Gustavo 12+2reb, C.Alexis 10+4reb+2ast, A.Yodael 10+2reb+2ast, A.Jean 5+3reb+1ast
Santiago Basket: J.Martin 26+5reb+1ast, A.Gil 14+5reb+4ast, N.Manso 12+3reb+1ast, E.Stone 8+6reb+1ast, K.Closs 8+6reb+1ast, M.Gibraun 8+4reb

Santiago Max - Fenix 91-73

There was a minor upset when 6th ranked Fenix (1-6) was defeated on the road by eighth ranked Santiago Max (2-8) 91-73 on Friday. Santiago Max made 18-of-22 free shots (81.8 percent) during the game. Jhoan Pena (195-1994) stepped up and scored 20 points and 8 rebounds for the winners and Chris Figueroa chipped in 22 points. Swingman Mcgrady Rodriguez (197-2001) responded with 19 points and 7 rebounds and Albertson Pimentel (185) scored 19 points. Five Santiago Max and four Fenix players scored in double figures. Santiago Max moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Santiago Basket. Fenix lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the bottom position with six games lost. Santiago Max will meet at home higher ranked Moca Superior (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Fenix will play against Moca Superior (#3) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Fenix: R.Mcgrady 19+7reb+1ast, P.Albertson 19+3reb+2ast, A.Nunez 10+4reb+2ast, D.Marlon Jael 10+4reb, A.Jolmi 5+4reb+1ast, S.Javier 5+3reb+1ast
Santiago Max: F.Chris 22+4reb+1ast, P.Jhoan 20+8reb+2ast, G.Cristian 15+4reb+2ast, E.Julio 10+2reb, F.Victor 10+2reb+1ast, J.Brito 10+6reb+1ast

Moca Superior - Mambas 96-74

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams when third ranked Moca Superior (6-1) smashed at home second-ranked Mambas (7-3) 96-74 on Sunday. Moca Superior outrebounded Mambas 47-32 including a 30-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. Guard Derekjeter Mejia (182-2001) stepped up and scored 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and Jeremy Guzman chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds. Four Moca Superior players scored in double figures. Moca Superior's coach felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Victor Torres (189-1995) responded with 21 points and 5 rebounds and Guatemalan forward Yormi Almonte (197-2002) scored 16 points and 9 rebounds. Moca Superior maintains third place with 6-1 record having five points less than leader Immortals. Loser Mambas keep the second position with three games lost. Moca Superior will meet at home bottom-ranked Fenix (#8) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Mambas' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Santiago Santiago Basket.
Top scorers:
Mambas: T.Victor 21+5reb+3ast, A.Yormi 16+9reb+1ast, C.Eddy 12+4reb+1ast, V.Daniel 8+5reb+1ast, J.Ventura 8+3reb+1ast, V.Wilbert 7+3reb+1ast
Moca Superior: D.Mejia 20+5reb+5ast, G.Jeremy 14+8reb+1ast, R.Luiyi 14+5reb+2ast, R.Kelvin 13+5reb+2ast, E.Jose 9+8reb+1ast, P.Willy 8+4reb

CPN - Immortals 85-110

Rather expected game in Santiago where 4th placed CPN (5-2) was rolled over by first ranked Immortals (8-2) 110-85 on Sunday. Immortals dominated down low during the game scoring 84 of its points in the paint compared to CPN's 44. They outrebounded CPN 48-28 including a 24-12 advantage in offensive rebounds. Immortals looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by CPN's players. American guard Khalil Small (190-1995, college: Green Bay) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and his fellow American import power forward Sterling Manley (213-1998, college: UNC) chipped in 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Power forward Leonacis Pena (201-2002) responded with 20 points and 8 rebounds and guard Milosevic Rivera (193-1996) scored 20 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Immortals have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 8-2 record. Loser CPN keeps the fourth position with two games lost. Immortals' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Santiago Capitanes.
Top scorers:
CPN: R.Milosevic 20+4reb+2ast, R.Sammy 20+4reb+2ast, P.Leonacis 20+8reb+1ast, R.Micky 15+6reb+1ast, L.Adonis 5+3reb+1ast, B.Diego 5+3reb
Immortals: K.Small 30+10reb+5ast, R.Angel 23+7reb+2ast, M.Hall 20+5reb+4ast, S.Manley 20+10reb+5ast, A.Ricardo 8+3reb, S.DeAndre 8+4reb+8ast

CPN - Moca Superior 66-75

The biggest surprise of round 5 was guest Moca Superior's (#3) road victory over CPN (#4) 75-66 on Wednesday evening. The best player for the winners was guard Derekjeter Mejia (182-2001) who scored 20 points and 5 assists. Luiyi Rojas chipped in 20 points. Power forward Leonacis Pena (201-2002) produced 15 points and 8 rebounds and guard Milosevic Rivera (193-1996) added 15 points and 5 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Moca Superior maintains third place with 6-1 record having five points less than leader Immortals. CPN at the other side keeps the fourth position with two games lost. Moca Superior are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Fenix (#8) in Santiago in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. CPN's supporters also look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Santiago to the arena Mambas.
Top scorers:
CPN: R.Milosevic 15+5reb+2ast, R.Sammy 15+4reb+2ast, P.Leonacis 15+8reb+2ast, M.Almonte 12+8reb+1ast, G.Batista 9+4reb+2ast, T.Raul 0
Moca Superior: D.Mejia 20+4reb+5ast, R.Luiyi 20+4reb+1ast, R.Kelvin 15+6reb+2ast, E.Jose 10+8reb+1ast, R.Justin 5+1reb+1ast, R.Dawry 5+1ast

Santiago Basket - Immortals 60-93

Very predictable result when first ranked Immortals (8-2) outscored on the road 7th ranked Santiago Basket (2-8) 93-60 on Wednesday. Immortals dominated down low during the game scoring 66 of its points in the paint compared to Santiago Basket's 38. American guard Khalil Small (190-1995, college: Green Bay) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and his fellow American import power forward Sterling Manley (213-1998, college: UNC) chipped in 19 points and 10 rebounds. Four Immortals players scored in double figures. Amet Gil (191-1988) responded with 17 points and 5 rebounds and American guard Brandon Hill (185-1987, college: Potomac St.) scored 11 points and 4 assists. Santiago Basket's coach Keith Closs gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. Immortals have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 8-2 record. Santiago Basket lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the sixth position with eight games lost. They share it with Santiago Max. Immortals' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Santiago Capitanes.
Top scorers:
Santiago Basket: A.Gil 17+5reb+3ast, M.Juan 11+5reb+1ast, B.Hill 11+4reb+4ast, J.Martin 7+4reb+1ast, M.Dhariam 4+2reb+1ast, N.Manso 3+2reb
Immortals: K.Small 26+10reb+4ast, R.Angel 21+6reb+2ast, S.Manley 19+10reb+2ast, M.Hall 12+6reb+2ast, T.Kelvin 6+4reb+4ast, S.DeAndre 6+2reb+2ast

Santiago Max - Capitanes 77-96

Not a big story in a game when 8th ranked Santiago Max (2-8) was outplayed at home by fifth ranked Capitanes (3-4) 96-77 on Thursday. Joan Santos stepped up and scored 15 points and 8 rebounds for the winners and guard Iriel Lopez (190-1989) chipped in 15 points and 6 rebounds. Frandi Martinez responded with 10 points and 8 rebounds and Jhoan Pena (195-1994) scored 10 points and 6 rebounds. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Capitanes have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain fifth place with 3-4 record. Loser Santiago Max dropped to the sixth position with eight games lost. They share it with Santiago Basket. Capitanes' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Santiago to the arena Immortals.
Top scorers:
Santiago Max: P.Moises 10+4reb+2ast, F.Chris 10+5reb+2ast, G.Cristian 10+3reb+1ast, P.Jhoan 10+6reb+1ast, N.Darbert 10+4reb+2ast, M.Frandi 10+8reb+1ast
Capitanes: G.Francisco 18+4reb+1ast, S.Joan 15+8reb+2ast, I.Lopez 15+6reb+3ast, C.Alexis 10+2reb+1ast, R.Marcos 10+2reb+1ast, M.Gustavo 10+3reb+1ast

Mambas - Fenix 92-90

Sixth-ranked Fenix (1-6) made lots of trouble for second ranked Mambas (7-3) in Santiago. Mambas managed to secure only two-point victory 92-90. However their fans expected much easier game. Guatemalan forward Yormi Almonte (197-2002) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points and 8 rebounds. Victor Torres (189-1995) contributed with 20 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Albertson Pimentel (185) answered with 20 points and 5 rebounds and swingman Mcgrady Rodriguez (197-2001) added 20 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Fenix. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Mambas maintains second place with 7-3 record behind leader Immortals. Fenix lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the bottom position with six games lost. Mambas' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Santiago Santiago Basket.
Top scorers:
Fenix: P.Albertson 20+5reb+3ast, R.Mcgrady 20+6reb+1ast, A.Nunez 10+4reb+1ast, R.Brayan 10+3reb+1ast, M.Jordy 10+4reb+1ast, T.Hensy 10+2reb+1ast
Mambas: T.Victor 20+5reb+3ast, A.Yormi 20+8reb+1ast, J.Juan 15+5reb+1ast, V.Wilbert 15+6reb+1ast, J.Ventura 10+4reb, S.Edison 5+2reb+1ast