Did the part offering showtime
Olympiacos, despite having many absences once again, won with an emphatic 106-67 over Panionios at the SEF, taking a 1-0 lead in the Basket League quarterfinals.
Our team started the game with energy, and with Tyler Dorsey as the offensive leader (4/6 three-pointers), they ran a 13-2 run in the first two minutes of the game, also providing some spectacular plays. Moustapha Fall - who returned to the team’s roster - sat on the bench at the 6th minute, with Olympiacos playing with Peters and Vezenkov in the forward positions. Panionios reacted and, with a 6-0 run, closed the gap (13-8, 4'). Vezenkov and Papanikolaou provided offensive solutions, and at the 7th minute, Shaquille McKissick made his debut with Olympiacos in the Greek League. Olympiacos maintained the lead until the end of the first quarter, which concluded with a three-pointer from Dorsey for 22-17. After McKissick’s lay-up at the start of the second quarter, Panionios ran a 9-0 streak, getting ahead (24-26, 12') by exploiting their dominance in the paint and Olympiacos' sluggish defense. Saben Lee’s three-pointer put Olympiacos back in front, and Alec Peters added five points to bring it to 32-29 (16'). However, the guests stayed competitive, passing ahead in the final two minutes, with the halftime score being 42-45.
A three-pointer from Sasha Vezenkov and a nice collaboration between Dorsey and Papanikolaou saw Olympiacos take the lead again in the first minute of the third quarter (47-45, 22'). Panionios responded from beyond the arc twice, staying - temporarily - close in score, but Olympiacos answered with a 19-0 run, led by Tyler Dorsey and Sasha Vezenkov (69-51, 28'). Saben Lee, with an and-one play, and Alec Peters added more to make it +21 (74-53) at the end of a quarter where our team was dominant, with a 32-8 scoreline. Little changed in the final quarter. With the game practically decided, Olympiacos entertained the crowd with beautiful teamwork and energy on the court, such as Lee’s assist leading to Mustafa Fall’s dunk (79-55, 32'). The American guard and Yanoulis Larentzakis pushed the lead to +30 (86-55, 34') as Panionios couldn’t keep up. Lee, with two three-pointers, excited the crowd, and with three minutes remaining, George Bournelis also made his appearance. Alec Peters' three-pointer made it 100-63, and the game finished 106-67.
The quarters: 22-17, 42-45, 74-53, 106-67.
*The next game of the series will be on April 13th.
