Fought, but failed
Olympiacos failed to beat Panathinaikos in the Greek Cup final and handed over their crown (79-75).
Our team was trailing by 7 points (71-64, 35'), but with a comeback and a 11-0 run, they led by 4 in the final three minutes of the derby. Consecutive poor decisions at the end cost them the loss and the second title of the season.
The nervous start in the first three minutes gave Panathinaikos an early lead (6-0), but our team had a quick response. With two defensive plays and five points from Sasha Vezenkov (6-5, 5'), they initially cut the deficit to one point, and a bucket by Fall put them ahead (6-7). The game was balanced for a few minutes, but thanks to a personal effort from Williams-Goss, an offensive rebound from Sasha Vezenkov, and a buzzer-beater three from Giannoulis Larentzakis, our team finished the first quarter with a +5 lead (16-21). The Greek guard continued where he left off in the second quarter, with Olympiacos maintaining their lead (23-26, 14'). Some defensive lapses led to a 5-0 run from Panathinaikos (28-27), but the 'red & whites' responded immediately. Moustapha Fall contributed on both ends of the floor, and with Evan Fournier and Shaquille McKissic taking charge offensively, Olympiacos went into halftime with a +4 lead (30-34).
After Kostas Papanikolaou's three-pointer at the start of the third quarter, Panathinaikos went on an 8-0 run to take the lead (38-37, 22'). Goss stepped up to give solutions (41-41, 24'), but the 'greens' took advantage of perimeter shooting to pull ahead (47-41). Vezenkov and McKissic responded with four quick points (47-45), but the defense lacked intensity, and there was a lack of clarity on offense, with the quarter ending with our team trailing by 4 (59-55). In the final quarter, Vezenkov and Goss provided offensive solutions (61-59, 32'), but a lack of defensive focus allowed Panathinaikos to gain a 7-point lead (66-59, 34'). Moustapha Fall became a key factor for our team (69-64, 35'), which was now down by 7 (71-64, 35'), but they reacted with an 11-0 run to lead by 4 points (71-75, 37'). Bad decisions at the end allowed Panathinaikos to have the final say, and they secured the victory with a 79-75 score.
The quarters: 16-21, 30-34, 59-55, 79-75.
