Game of Week: Christmas leads team to road victory (Videos)

Dionte Christmas

This was just downright fun. Fourth quarter lead changes. Emphatic dunks. Clutch 3-pointers. Hostile crowd. In a possible playoff preview, Rethymno defeated Panionios 77-76 in Athens tonight.

Dionte Christmas paced the visitors from Crete with 19 points, including a steal and dunk (see video) that gave his team a 75-73 lead with 56 seconds remaining. Billy Keys (9 points) answered for Panionios before Rethymno’s Brent Petway was fouled and sank two clutch free throws with 17 seconds on the clock.

Up 77-75, Rethymno decided to foul Alex Stepheson — as they had done all night, with considerable vigor — and gambled that he’d miss a free throw. He was 8 of 14 from the line before he was fouled with 5.5 seconds left. The gamble paid off. The USC alum missed the first shot and hit the second. Panionios got the ball back with 3 seconds left but Marios Batis‘ half court shot missed.

Christmas, the league’s top scorer (19.5 ppg), also hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer (video below) going into halftime.

Jon Diebler led Panionios with 16 points and 6 rebounds. The league’s top 3-point shooter hit 3 of 6 from downtown, including two in the fourth quarter. His fast-break layup gave Panionios a 68-67 lead with just over 3 minutes to play.

Petway (8 points, 6 rebounds) saved his best for last. His putback two-handed dunk gave Rethymno a 56-49 lead to end the third quarter. He flirted with a technical, though, when he stared into the crowd after landing. He connected for two more hoops in the fourth quarter, followed by the two free throws. He played nearly the entire fourth quarter with 4 fouls.

Zack Wright also scored 19 points for Rethymno and pulled down 8 rebounds. He had four turnovers, one leading to the Diebler layup, but created many opportunities for his teammates. And he had a memorable steal. Laying belly up on the floor (after a missed shot and no call), he reached and poked the ball away from a Panionios player, directly to Christmas, who laid it in.

Wright’s penetration also freed up shooters including Damir Latovic, who sank some big outside shots (video below). Latovic finished with 18 points (three 3-pointers) and 6 rebounds.

Stepheson, who recently returned to the lineup after a knee injury, finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

Panionios (13-7) and Rethymno (12-7) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the standings. Rethymno has won four in a row. Panionios has lost its last two games, and three of its last four.

DIONTE CHRISTMAS STEAL AND DUNK:

ZACK WRIGHT TO CHRISTMAS FOR HALFTIME BUZZER-BEATER:

WRIGHT TO DAMIR LATOVIC FOR 3-POINTER:

Video: Fans pelt refs with water bottles

Here’s a video of fans in Peristeri throwing stuff at referees after the home team lost 75-62 to Rethymno, back on December 17. The game was sparsely attended, but this crew had been on the refs for much of the second half after they made some calls against the local side.

For what it’s worth, I thought they called a fair game. In fact, the worst call was on Rethymno’s Dionte Christmas, who penetrated into the lane, got mauled as he jumped to shoot, and landed with the ball in his hands. He was called for traveling.

The video is post-game. The Peristeri players had left the court. Then, the Rethymno players left (stuff was thrown at them, as well — video of that later). Last up were the refs. For reasons beyond my understanding, they strolled center court to the tunnel, instead of, oh I don’t know, jogging perhaps?

The bottles were plastic and no one appeared to be injured. I read later that Peristeri was fined 1,500 euro. Peristeri’s coach (in suit) escorts the refs.

Maroussi loses ugly; Diebler hits six 3s

So many of Maroussi’s games — OK, losses, — have at least been fun to watch. Last-second shots that missed. Close games against powerhouses Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. The point guard getting ejected for arguing with the referees. I could go on.

Tonight, though, was a night to learn Greek. Panionios defeated Maroussi 97-57 in a game that was over shortly after the opening tip-off. So to stay entertained, the fans in the section I sat in during the second half collectively counted up Jon Diebler‘s 3-pointers. “Tessera” they said when he sank his fourth, “penta” for the next, and finally “exi” for his sixth and final long ball.

Maroussi, its losing streak at a season-long 17 games, has just six professionals on its roster because of serious financial problems. Two starters left the team recently but until now they’ve been able to get by on adrenaline, plus two teen-aged centers. Perimeter defense has not been their forte, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post. And actually, defense in general has suffered because they simply don’t have extra bodies if someone gets into foul trouble. Panionios shot 65 percent inside the 3-point line, 45 percent beyond it.

Diebler, the league’s best 3-point shooter, scored 22 points and added 11 rebounds — both season highs. He was 6 of 8 on 3-point attempts (six 3s ties his season high). His buzzer-beater before halftime gave Panionios a 46-24 lead. Not that it mattered much, but the score was 41-24 with Maroussi trying to set up the final shot of the half, when guard Yannis Gagaloudis lost the ball out of bounds, then kicked it in frustration. A technical foul was called. Ex-Maroussi star Billy Keys, to whom Maroussi still owes money, sank the two foul shots and Panionios retained possession, leading to the inbounds pass to Diebler with 2 seconds on the clock. He sank it from the corner.

Gagaloudis, the fiery, bearded and super-quick playmaker, led Maroussi with 16 points and 10 assists, along with 7 turnovers. His drives and shooting kept the game from turning uglier than it already was. Nestoras Kommatos, the league’s leading scorer (21 ppg) entering the game, finished with 14 points. He was 1 of 6 from 3-point range. Kommatos was coming off a 40-point performance Saturday but Panionios wisely doubled-teamed him and successfully harassed him all night, clearly borrowing on Bill Belichick‘s ‘Make ’em go to Manningham’ game plan.

Seven-footer Zisis Sarikopoulos scored 17 points and guard Marios Batis added 16 points for Panionios (13-5). Both are former Maroussi players. Alex Stepheson (knee) did not dress.

Panionios outrebounded Maroussi 44 to 21. The winners connected on 13 of 29 3-point attempts and held Maroussi to 2 of 13 from behind the arc.

Maroussi falls short again

As a fan of the Boston Red Sox, I know a crushing defeat when I see one. If Maroussi’s 89-81 loss tonight against Ilysiakos doesn’t shred the team’s soul, I don’t know what would. Maroussi is now 0-15.

Maroussi, forced to insert a 17-year-old into the starting five, found itself leading 81-76 with just over 2 minutes to play. Then it got ugly. Ilysiakos pulled even with a 3-pointer, followed by two free throws by Nana Harding (24 points, 14 rebounds) with 1:18 to play.

Tied at 81-81, a loose ball headed out of bounds — for a Maroussi possession — but Maroussi coach Nikos Linardos touched the ball at the sideline before it was declared out. That’s a technical foul. Nikos Chatzis sank both free throws, giving Ilysiakos an 83-81 lead with 47 seconds remaining.

Ilysiakos gained possession after a Maroussi miss, but point guard Yannis Gagaloudis (16 points) stole a pass and was fouled. He took the inbounds pass and drove toward the basket. Defender Darryl Thompson (12 points; all on 3-pointers) fell backward and Gagaloudis lost the ball, expecting a foul. No call. Chatzis stole the ball, was fouled, sank two more free throws, making it 85-81 with 18 seconds left.

Incensed, Gagaloudis badgered the referees at midcourt during a timeout that lasted a good 10 minutes as an assistant coach tried to steer him toward the bench. He received a double-technical and was ejected before removing his yellow jersey and walking toward the locker room.

Chatzis hit four more free throws — for the technical fouls — to make it 89-81.

Wait, there’s more. The three refs, one of whom was taking abuse from a fan, then walked off the court with 14 seconds remaining. Players and coaches on both sides weren’t sure what to do. They lingered on the court for about 15 minutes. Then, the refs reappeared and the final seconds were ticked off the clock.

Maroussi led by as many as 14 points (37-23) in the second quarter.

The end-game mess overshadowed a superb effort by Maroussi, which played without center Frank Elegar (see previous post), who is leaving to likely join a club in Turkey, and minus starting power forward Dimitris Haritopoulos, who signed with a French club. Overall, Maroussi played smaller and faster. They rotated two teenagers in the center spot. Ilysiakos finished with 37 rebounds to Maroussi’s 28.

Nestoras Kommatos led Maroussi with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Lefteris Akepsemaidis contributed 12 points and 6 assists.