PN99 returned to winning ways last night, as they had little trouble securing an away victory against the Famagusta Ballers, winning 62–74 and claiming their third win in the Gold Division, which for now keeps them in the top two, privileged positions of the standings.
Last season’s champions, who played last night at the Idalion Lyceum without their natural leader Petros Konnafis, asserted their dominance early on at both ends of the court, not allowing the team from Famagusta to harbor any hopes of a positive result.
Already in the first quarter, the “Pinks” built a double-digit lead (13–25), which grew even larger in the second period, reaching +26 (18–44) by halftime. This gave the second half more of a procedural character — and that is exactly how it unfolded.
With such a commanding lead, the visitors eased off in the second half and, combined with a clear improvement in the hosts’ offensive production, the gap between the two teams narrowed, with the final 62–74 handing the two points to Alexis Georgiadis’ team.
Top scorer for the winners was Giannakis Prokopiou with 26 points (10/10 from the free-throw line). All of his teammates also got on the scoresheet, with Petsas adding 10 points, and Chatzivasileiou and Georgiadis contributing 8 points each. For the hosts, Thodoris Apeslidis stood out with 20 points, followed by Evryviadis and Georgiou with 13 and 11 respectively.
Based on the current standings, the Famagusta Ballers will finish 5th regardless of the results of the final round, and in the play-offs they will face the team that finishes 4th.
For PN99, the situation is more complex, as much will depend on the result of tonight’s derby between the Warriors and ESOBGA.
- If ESOBGA win, PN99 remain 2nd and will need a win in the final round to stay there.
- If the Warriors win, there will be a three-way tie on 9 points, with PN99 dropping to 3rd place.
In any case, everything will be decided in the final round, with derby matchups among the top four teams.
