The St. Nicholas Pistols opened their 2026 Limassol Championship campaign with a very important victory, defeating Apollon Heat away from home 49–59, at the same time moving to the top of the standings, although they have one more game played than Trachoni, who play on Friday.
Giorgos Angonas’ team, which after also qualifying for the Round of 16 of the Cup last week appears to be on a steady upward trajectory, escaped from the Agios Ioannis Lyceum with a big road win against last season’s runners-up, securing their fifth consecutive victory.
The game had all the characteristics of a derby, with the two teams going neck and neck for most of the contest. It is indicative that even four minutes before the end, the difference between the two sides never exceeded 5–6 points; in fact, the home team usually held a small but steady lead, with the visitors staying right on their heels.
In the closing stages, however, the Pistols took control of the game, were clearly more composed and decisive, and made the crucial move when the ball was “burning.” What was 46–50 with four minutes left quickly turned into 46–59, thanks to consecutive baskets by Shirkin, Damianou, Kourtoglou and Hadji, as the Heat players suffered a blackout at the most critical moment of the match.
Bulankin’s three made free throws in the final seconds merely reduced the margin to 49–59, which proved to be the final score. Lefteris Triantafyllou and Andrei Shirkin led the winners with 17 and 14 points respectively, while for the hosts Pavel Bulankin and Viacheslav Titov stood out with 12 and 10 points each.
