Another day at work
Olympiacos bested Aris at the “Nick Galis Hall” 87-76, for the postponed game of the 11th Stoiximan Basket League day.
The home team resisted during the first five minutes (5-7), but, with good defense and Vezenkov and Fall leading the offense, Olympiacos imposed the rhythm and got a +13 difference (12-25 at 9’). The ‘reds’ did not stop there… Always starting from defense, they ran the fast-break and with Shaquielle McKissic having taken over scoring honors, they sent the difference sky-high (+20, 20-40 at 16’), finally closing the first half at +18 (33-51).
In the second half, the ‘reds’ inexplicably stepped on the brakes. Bad decisions in the offense and gaps in the defense allowed Aris (and more specifically, the unstoppable Hanlan) to drop the difference originally to 9p. (53-62 at 31’) and then to 7 (73-80 at 38’). The ‘reds’ though ran a partial 5-0 (73-85 at 39’), practically ‘ending’ the game.
For Alkis
Before the tipoff, there was a minute of silence in memoriam of the tragically lost Alkis. At the 19th minute of the game – a symbolic number, since the tragic victim had only been 19 years old – the game was interrupted and members of the two teams paid tribute to Alkis, leaving flowers next to a ‘yellow’s’ jersey with his name. Also, during the warm up, the players of Aris and Olympiacos wore t-shirts that had his last words printed on them: “Please, don’t hurt me anymore”.
The quarters: 14-25, 33-51, 50-62, 76-87.
