The Old Timers pulled off a major upset last night, completing a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat the Basket Bros 54–49 and secure a historic place in the Bronze Category Final-4.
Despite having recorded only one win during the rest of the Championship, the Old Timers rose to the occasion in the two most crucial games of their season. With back-to-back victories over the Basket Bros, they clinched the much-desired semifinal spot, leaving their opponents bitterly disappointed.
Ironically, it was the Basket Bros who started the game stronger at Falcon, leading 10–14 at the end of the first quarter and 21–27 at halftime, while at one point even extending their lead to +9. However, Filip Bliznakov’s team refused to give up and slowly mounted a sustained comeback in the second half.
Using a tight zone defense and an aggressive full-court press for much of the second half, the Timers shut down all routes to their basket. They gradually erased the deficit and eventually took the lead early in the fourth quarter.
The outcome was ultimately decided in the closing minutes, especially after crucial three-pointers by Marios Ioannou and Giorgos Georgiou, which effectively sealed the fate of Alexis Solomonides’ team.
The final 54–49 score sparked wild celebrations among the winners, who in their first-ever appearance in the Winter Championship have reached the Bronze Category Final-4. There, they will face the Nicosia Bar Association in the semifinals (09/03 – Agios Dometios Indoor Hall – 18:30).
Top scorers for the winners were Haris Michael with 13 points and Manolis Koutsakis with 10. For the Basket Bros, Giannos Louras and Panagiotis Bakopoulos stood out with 15 and 14 points respectively.
