By Vangelis Papadimitriou/ info@eurohoops.net
Confirming projections, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos will battle it out in the championship game of Greece’s Super Cup.
Contrary to the eternal enemy, the Reds never trailed and comfortably beat Promitheas, 93-65, in the second part of the Semifinals in Rhodes Saturday.
Sasha Vezenkov paved the way with 19 points behind 7/11 field goals to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Newcomers Alec Peters and Joel Bolomboy finished with 17 and 12 points, respectively. Thomas Walkup had 11 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
A solid showing with a steady offensive flow and effective communication in defense. The offseason adjustments shy from a direct impact on the core of the squad, Olympiacos seemed over early-season struggles, mainly dealt with by teams going through more summer moves.
Getting the safe lead permitted head coach Giorgos Bartzokas to spread playing time across the board. Missing out was Tarik Black. The 30-year-old center is currently ineligible to play at the domestic level, due to the restrictions on foreigners.
Gearing up for tomorrow’s Final against Panathinaikos (20:00 CET), the team coached by Bartzokas will later focus on FC Barcelona. The away game opposite the Catalonia giant Friday is part of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 1.
Former UNC Greensboro standout Trevis Simpson was the top scorer for the team based in Patras packing 16 points. In the third-place game scheduled to be held tomorrow (16:00 CET), the team guided by Makis Giatras will bump into tournament host Kolossos H Hotels.