Maroussi coach Nikos Linardos is a realist. His squad suffered through an 18-game losing streak before breaking into the win column Saturday over Peristeri. So he wasn’t chest-thumping when he suggested Maroussi can win again this season.
“We have a chance to win one or two more games,” said Linardos, who has kept in touch with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski whom he met years ago while studying in the United States.
Linardos, who played on the Greek national team in the late 1980s, wasn’t naming names regarding which team on the schedule is beatable. Safe to say he wasn’t thinking Panathinaikos (17-2), which visits Maroussi on Wednesday afternoon.
After Panathinaikos, Maroussi visits Kolossus (14-5) on the island of Rhodes. The final three games are against teams with losing records, though still in the playoff hunt: home to Aris; at Drama; home to Ikaros.
Maroussi’s 58-52 victory over Peristeri wasn’t pretty. Maroussi failed to score during an 8 1/2-minute span in the second half while Peristeri played catch-up.
Newcomer Andreas Kanonidis (14 points, 9 rebounds) played another strong game. The 20-year-old sank three 3-pointers (see video). Vagel Sakellariou was a spark plug off the bench. He scored 8 points (see video) but each basket gave Maroussi extra momentum.
ANDREAS KANONIDIS 3-POINTER:
VAGEL SAKELLARIOU DRIVE & SCORE:
kingsofmaroussi 