PN99 was ultimately the winner in yesterday’s big derby of the “Kyrenia” Region, as they defeated the European University Warriors with an exciting score of 59-56, simultaneously securing second place in the standings.
Despite falling behind at the start of the match after a strong opening by the “Warriors,” the Champions gradually managed to balance the game and take a narrow lead (33-31) by the end of the first half.
At the start of the second half, a surge by the Georgiadis-Konnafis team, combined with a temporary offensive slump from Apostolos Memtsoudis’ team, put PN99 ahead by +12 (43-31), and everything suggested that the scale had already tipped in their favor.
However, the Warriors had not yet said their last word, and with a 17-6 run, they brought the difference down to its minimum (49-48), turning the last 5 minutes of the match into a thriller. In the end, however, the Champions showed greater composure (especially from the free-throw line) and managed to secure their 8th win of the season and the invaluable victory at 59-56.
The top performers for the home team were Giannakis Prokopiou, who scored 21 points, followed by Petros Konnafis with 16. For the Warriors, Haris Spyrou played a great game, adding 25 points to his tally, while his other teammates were less prolific in scoring (although almost all of them contributed).
The two teams now know their final ranking in the standings and are waiting to see which team will be the sixth to complete the Gold Category group of six, along with ESOBGA, Think Colour, and P&P. It is a certainty that the two yesterday’s opponents will start their effort in the Second Phase with PN99 having 2 points and the Warriors 1 point.
