More celebrations and a win over Kolossos
Olympiacos triumphed over Kolossos Rhodes with a 95-76 victory in a festive atmosphere at the SEF, for the 20th round of the Basket League.
On the eve of Olympiacos' 100th anniversary, the Peace and Friendship Stadium was once again adorned with celebratory decorations. Before the tip-off, the Municipality of Piraeus band played the team's anthem, while 100 children stood around the court holding flags with the emblem of the eternal "Efivos (i.e. Teen/Youth)". The club's Presidents, Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelopoulos, presented Giorgos Bartzokas with an award, for becoming the coach with the most wins in Olympiacos' history since the establishment of the A' National League and then, it was time for the tip-off.
With Tyler Dorsey leading offensively and captain Kostas Papanikolaou making plays from beyond the arc, our team took control of the scoring early on in the game against Kolossos (10-7, 4') and, without increasing the defensive intensity, remained in the lead (18-11, 7') throughout the first quarter, which ended with a fast-break basket by Tyler Dorsey (20-15). In the second quarter, Luca Vildoza, Giannoulis Larentzakis, and Alec Peters led the 'red & whites' offensively, with Olympiacos finding success from three-point range (34-26, 16') and continuing to control the game without facing serious threats (37-28). They went into the locker room at halftime with a 5-point lead (43-38).
Mustapha Fall and Tyler Dorsey stopped Kolossos' small run at the start of the third quarter (50-45), and a steal by Williams-Goss led to a three-pointer by the Greek international guard, pushing the lead to +10 (55-45, 24'). Our team increased the ball pressure, resulting in three consecutive defensive stops that led to easy baskets (63-53), and gradually built a double-digit lead (68-58). The final quarter began with a three-point showcase (and an 11-0 run) from the 'red & whites', featuring Larentzakis and Vildoza (75-58, 32'), with the Greek guard later assisting Nikola Milutinov for a dunk that thrilled the crowd (80-60, 34').
The game became a formality, but Tyler Dorsey, with his shooting display from beyond the arc, riled up the crowd as the Piraeus team cruised to an easy victory (95-76), with Giorgos Bartzokas able to distribute playing time to the entire 12-man roster, as with 3:31 remaining, Stefanos Spartalis also stepped onto the court.
The quarters: 20-15, 43-38, 68-58, 95-76
