La Liga Round 9 (Regular Season): San Lorenzo de Almagro fire past Ferro

There were just 9 rounds played in Regular Season of La Liga and we can clearly see which teams will fight for top positions and which will try to avoid bottom places. The round was exceptionally exciting as four games ended with a tiny margin. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game had a very big importance for third-ranked San Lorenzo as it allowed them to take a leadership position. San Lorenzo smashed 14th ranked Ferro in Almagro 83-53. San Lorenzo dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Ferro's 32. San Lorenzo forced 22 Ferro turnovers. It was a good game for swingman Federico Grun (191-1996) who led his team to a victory with 19 points and 6 rebounds. The former international center Ivan Basualdo (203-1990) contributed with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals for the winners. San Lorenzo's coach Leonardo Costa felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Naturalized Italian center Damian Tintorelli (205-1981) answered with 11 points and 7 rebounds for Ferro. San Lorenzo (8-1) have an impressive series of six victories in a row. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Ferro at the other side keeps the fourteenth place with five games lost. Ferro will play next round against Platense trying to get back on the winning streak. San Lorenzo will try to continue on its current victory against seventh ranked San Martin in Corrientes.
Another exciting game for Instituto (6-3) which played in Buenos Aires against Boca (5-4). Seventh ranked Instituto won 94-88. The former international point guard Leandro Vildoza (180-1994) stepped up and scored 17 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners and Mauro Cosolito chipped in 17 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The best for the losing side was the former international point guard Jose Vildoza (191-1996, agency: Octagon Europe) with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Instituto. They moved-up to sixth place. Boca at the other side dropped to the ninth position with four games lost. Instituto will play against La Union (#15) in Formosa in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Boca will have a break next round.
Another exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Buenos Aires: Obras (#5) and Boca (#8). Obras (6-1) won against visiting Boca (5-4) 104-96. Andre Spight nailed 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side. Sebastian Vega came up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds for Boca in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Obras. They moved-up to fourth place. Loser Boca dropped to the ninth position with four games lost. Obras will meet Obera (#11) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Boca will have a break next round.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 9: Riachuelo de La Rioja was beaten by Zarate Basket Independiente on the road 77-74. Ciclista Olimpico de La Banda won against Union de Santa Fe on its own court 87-81. Instituto Atletico Central Cordoba managed to outperform Penarol Mar del Plata in a road game 79-67. Quimsa Santiago del Estero managed to beat Union de Santa Fe at home 78-69. Comunicaciones Mercedes was defeated by Regatas Corrientes on the opponent's court 80-75. Independiente de Oliva was beaten by Gimnasia y Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia in a home game 82-85. Comunicaciones Mercedes lost to San Martin Corrientes on the road 69-83. Riachuelo de La Rioja unfortunately lost to Gimnasia y Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia on its own court 79-82. Gimnasia y Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia recorded a loss to Instituto Atletico Central Cordoba in a road game 87-69.



Zarate - Riachuelo LR 77-74

The game between closely ranked teams ended with fourteenth ranked Zarate's (4-5) home victory over 15th ranked Riachuelo (2-6) 77-74 on Saturday. Agustin Brocal (191-1997) nailed 26 points and 8 rebounds for the winning side and swingman Damian Pineda (194-1988) accounted for 17 points. Colombian forward Andres Ibarguen (200-1996, college: Angelo St., agency: Helping Ballers) came up with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds and point guard Victor Fernandez (180-1999) added 18 points (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line) respectively for Riachuelo in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Zarate moved-up to twelfth place, which they share with Comunicaciones. Riachuelo lost their third game in a row. They keep the fifteenth position with six games lost. They share it with La Union. Zarate will meet at home league's second-placed Olimpico in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Riachuelo will play against Comunicaciones (#12) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Zarate: A.Brocal 26+8reb+3ast, D.Pineda 17+4reb+2ast, S.Chaine 15+2reb+1ast, J.Aprea 6+5reb+2ast, M.Perez 3+3reb, E.Rupcic 3+1reb
Riachuelo LR: V.Fernandez 18+1reb, A.Ibarguen 13+10reb, A.Young 12+4reb+2ast, J.Maldonado 9+3reb+3ast, B.Mateo 7+2reb+1ast, N.De los Santos 7+5reb+4ast

Olimpico - Union SF 87-81

Very expected game when 19th ranked Union (1-7) lost to second ranked Olimpico (7-1) in La Banda 81-87 on Saturday. However just six-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. Olimpico made 20-of-26 free shots (76.9 percent) during the game. The former international guard Nicolas Romano (200) nailed a double-double by scoring 21 points and 12 rebounds for the winning side and the former international point guard Nicolas Aguirre (189-1988) accounted for 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Olimpico players scored in double figures. Point guard Jeremias Sandrini (185-1993) came up with 12 points and American guard Trevor Moore (196-1999, college: MSU) added 13 points respectively for Union in the defeat. Union SF's coach Sebastian Punet rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. The victory was the third consecutive win for Olimpico. They maintain second place with 7-1 record behind leader San Lorenzo, which they share with Quimsa. Union lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with seven games lost. They share it with Penarol and Argentino. Olimpico will meet Zarate (#13) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Union will play against Zarate (#13) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Olimpico: N.Romano 21+12reb+2ast, N.Aguirre 17+5reb+4ast, P.Tabarez 14+4reb+1ast, D.Collier 10+13reb, T.Zanzottera 9+4reb+1ast, J.Arengo 8+1reb+2ast
Union SF: T.Moore 13+2reb, J.Sandrini 12+4reb+3ast, E.Cave 10+4reb, F.Pais 10+1reb, B.Pedro 8+6reb, I.Alessio 8+1reb+1ast

Boca - Instituto 88-94

Another exciting game for Instituto (6-3) which played in Buenos Aires against Boca (5-4). Seventh ranked Instituto won 94-88. Instituto made 23-of-29 charity shots (79.3 percent) during the game. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. Boca was plagued by 26 personal fouls down the stretch. The former international point guard Leandro Vildoza (180-1994) stepped up and scored 17 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners and the former international Mauro Cosolito (192-1988) chipped in 17 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The best for the losing side was the former international point guard Jose Vildoza (191-1996, agency: Octagon Europe) with 15 points and 8 rebounds and American power forward Raven Barber (206-1991, college: Mt.St.Mary's, agency: AG Sports Solutions) scored 8 points and 12 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Instituto. They moved-up to sixth place. Boca at the other side dropped to the ninth position with four games lost. Instituto will play against La Union (#15) in Formosa in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Boca will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Instituto: L.Vildoza 17+6reb+8ast, M.Cosolito 17+5reb+7ast, J.Saiz 16+8reb+1ast, B.Jefferson 13+2reb+1ast, N.Hoover 12+3reb+2ast, B.Lugarini 9+9reb+1ast
Boca: J.Vildoza 15+8reb+2ast, J.Defelippo 14+4reb+2ast, L.Mainoldi 13+3reb+2ast, L.Schattmann 13+2reb+4ast, M.Mata 11+7reb+1ast, S.Vega 10+6reb+2ast

Penarol - Instituto 67-79

Very predictable result when seventh ranked Instituto (6-3) won against 18th ranked Penarol (1-7) in Mar del Plata 79-67 on Monday. The former international forward Bautista Lugarini (203-2001) nailed 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and the former international Javier Saiz (206-1994) accounted for 17 points and 7 rebounds. American forward Al Thornton (203-1983, college: FSU, agency: BIG) came up with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds and point guard Joaquin Valinotti (185-1998) added 18 points and 6 assists respectively for Penarol in the defeat. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Instituto. They moved-up to sixth place. Penarol lost their sixth game in a row. They keep the eighteenth position with seven games lost. They share it with Argentino and Union SF. Instituto will meet at home La Union (#15) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Penarol will play against the league's second-placed Olimpico in La Banda and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Instituto: J.Saiz 17+7reb, B.Lugarini 16+7reb+2ast, N.Hoover 12+1reb+1ast, M.Cosolito 9+5reb+2ast, L.Vildoza 9+7reb+4ast, F.Elias 8+3reb+2ast
Penarol: J.Valinotti 18+4reb+6ast, A.Thornton 18+10reb+3ast, T.Monacchi 10+7reb, F.Filippa 7+3reb+1ast, R.Whitfield 4+5reb+5ast, J.Morales 4+4reb+1ast

Quimsa - Union SF 78-69

Not a big story in a game when 19th ranked Union (1-7) lost to third ranked Quimsa (7-1) in Santiado del Estero 69-78 on Monday. The former international point guard Juan Brussino (185-1991) nailed 12 points and 5 assists for the winning side and the former international power forward Tayavek Gallizzi (206-1993) accounted for 15 points. Cuban center Pedro Bombino (206-2000, agency: Pro Sports) came up with 12 points and 7 rebounds and Felipe Pais (183-1990) added 11 points and 4 assists respectively for Union in the defeat. Four Union players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Quimsa. Defending champion moved-up to second place, which they share with Olimpico. Union lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with seven games lost. They share it with Penarol and Argentino. Quimsa will meet Platense (#5) in the next round. Union will play against Zarate (#13) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Quimsa: T.Gallizzi 15+4reb+1ast, S.Acevedo 13+3reb+1ast, J.Brussino 12+3reb+5ast, E.Vasirani 9+4reb+1ast, E.Basabe 8+4reb+1ast, B.Robinson 8+7reb+2ast
Union SF: T.Moore 15+2reb+1ast, I.Alessio 15+4reb, B.Pedro 12+7reb+1ast, F.Pais 11+4reb+4ast, J.Sandrini 5+2reb+4ast, D.Valentin 5+6reb+1ast

Regatas - Comunicaciones 80-75

There was a small surprise when tenth ranked Regatas (5-3) defeated their close opponent Comunicaciones (4-5) in Corrientes 80-75 on Monday. Regatas outrebounded Comunicaciones 44-32 including 29 on the defensive glass. Point guard Tobias Franchela (185-2001) nailed 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and the former international forward Facundo Pinero (202-1988) accounted for 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Five Regatas players scored in double figures. American point guard Keron DeShields (190-1992, college: Tennessee St., agency: Diamond Sports) came up with 21 points and the other American import guard Marcus Thomas (191-1995, college: Rosemont) added 19 points respectively for Comunicaciones in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Regatas moved-up to seventh place, which they share with San Martin. Comunicaciones lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the twelfth position with five games lost. They share it with Zarate. Regatas will meet at home Riachuelo LR (#16) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Comunicaciones will play against Riachuelo LR (#16) in La Rioja and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Regatas: T.Franchela 16+5reb+4ast, F.Pinero 13+6reb+4ast, F.Vieta 12+5reb+1ast, A.Jaime 11+5reb+1ast, G.McGhee 11+9reb, X.Carreras 6+7reb
Comunicaciones: K.DeShields 21+4reb+3ast, M.Thomas 19+4reb+1ast, T.Pereyra 9+3reb+2ast, E.Maxwell 9+6reb+1ast, J.Strings 6+7reb+1ast, A.Montes 6+2reb+1ast

Independ.O. - Gimnasia 82-85

There was no surprise when 16th ranked Independ.O. (2-7) was edged by tenth ranked Gimnasia (5-6) in Olivia 85-82 on Tuesday. American center Vaughn De (205-1988, college: Stillman) nailed a double-double by scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side and American-Italian Brandon Nazione (202-1994, college: EMU) accounted for 18 points and 15 rebounds. De Vaughn is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Salvador Giletto (195-1993) came up with 12 points and 8 rebounds and guard Agustin Pautasso (192-1997) added 10 points and 8 rebounds respectively for Independ.O. in the defeat. Four Independ.O. players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Gimnasia maintains tenth place with 5-6 record. Independ.O. lost their fifth game in a row. Newly promoted team dropped to the seventeenth position with seven games lost. Gimnasia will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Independ.O. will play against Obera (#11) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Gimnasia: G.De Vaughn 23+10reb+5ast, B.Nazione 18+15reb+3ast, J.Webster 16+1reb+4ast, G.Mariani 8+3reb+4ast, T.Emiliano 7+3reb+1ast, D.Martiniano 5+3reb
Independ.O.: S.Giletto 12+8reb, A.Alonso 12+2reb+2ast, P.Ezequiel 11+2reb, C.Scaramuzzino 11+8reb, J.Banegas 10+3reb+1ast, A.Pautasso 10+8reb+2ast

San Martin - Comunicaciones 83-69

The game between closely ranked teams ended with ninth ranked San Martin's (5-3) home victory over 10th ranked Comunicaciones (4-5) in Corrientes 83-69 on Wednesday. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when San Martin made 8 blocks. Swingman Lucas Gargallo (196-1995) nailed 19 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and Ecuadorian center Bryan Carabali (214-1999) accounted for 15 points and 8 rebounds (perfect from the field making all six shots). Four San Martin players scored in double figures. American point guard Keron DeShields (190-1992, college: Tennessee St., agency: Diamond Sports) came up with 23 points and the other American import guard Marcus Thomas (191-1995, college: Rosemont) added 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for Comunicaciones in the defeat. Comunicaciones' coach rotated ten players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for San Martin. They moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Regatas. Comunicaciones lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the twelfth position with five games lost. They share it with Zarate. San Martin will meet league's leader San Lorenzo in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Comunicaciones will play against Riachuelo LR (#16) in La Rioja and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
San Martin: L.Gargallo 19+7reb, C.Buendia 16+1reb+3ast, C.Bryan 15+8reb, V.Garello 12+9reb, M.Franco 7+1reb+4ast, A.Perez 5+4reb+2ast
Comunicaciones: K.DeShields 23+3reb+1ast, M.Thomas 12+6reb+4ast, A.Santiago 10+5reb, E.Martinez 5+5reb, E.Maxwell 4+5reb, J.Strings 4+5reb

Obras - Boca 104-96

Another exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Buenos Aires: Obras (#5) and Boca (#8). Obras (6-1) won against visiting Boca (5-4) 104-96. Obras made 17-of-22 free shots (77.3 percent) during the game. Armenian-American guard Andre Spight (190-1995, college: N.Colorado, agency: Helping Ballers) nailed 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and the former international point guard Pedro Barral (187-1994) accounted for 15 points and 7 assists. The former international Sebastian Vega (200-1988) came up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds and the former international Leonel Schattmann (193-1987) added 25 points and 4 assists respectively for Boca in the defeat. Five Obras and four Boca players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Obras. They moved-up to fourth place. Loser Boca dropped to the ninth position with four games lost. Obras will meet Obera (#11) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Boca will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Obras: V.Juan 19+1reb+4ast, I.Felipe 18+4reb+2ast, A.Spight 16+7reb+4ast, P.Barral 15+2reb+7ast, L.Cerminato 15+4reb, S.Franco 9+2reb
Boca: L.Schattmann 25+2reb+4ast, S.Vega 20+11reb+2ast, J.Defelippo 11+3reb, G.Juan 10+3reb+2ast, R.Barber 9+3reb+1ast, R.Manuel 7+5reb

Riachuelo LR - Gimnasia 79-82

Very expected game when 15th ranked Riachuelo (2-6) was edged by tenth ranked Gimnasia (5-6) in La Rioja 82-79 on Thursday. Gimnasia outrebounded Riachuelo 38-27 including 26 on the defensive glass. American guard Joshua Webster (190-1997, college: Missouri St.) nailed 21 points and 9 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the winning side and his fellow American import center Vaughn De (205-1988, college: Stillman) accounted for 20 points and 6 rebounds. De Vaughn is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Gimnasia's coach Martin Villagran used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Colombian forward Andres Ibarguen (200-1996, college: Angelo St., agency: Helping Ballers) came up with 19 points and 9 rebounds (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field) and the former international point guard Nicolas De los Santos (180-1988) added 19 points and 5 assists respectively for Riachuelo in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Gimnasia maintains tenth place with 5-6 record. Riachuelo lost their third game in a row. They keep the fifteenth position with six games lost. They share it with La Union. Gimnasia will meet at home Independ.O. (#17) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Riachuelo will play against Comunicaciones and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Gimnasia: J.Webster 21+9reb+2ast, G.De Vaughn 20+6reb, B.Nazione 15+6reb+1ast, T.Emiliano 11+6reb+2ast, P.Gramajo 5+3reb+7ast, F.Podesta 2+2reb
Riachuelo LR: N.De los Santos 19+1reb+5ast, A.Ibarguen 19+9reb+1ast, A.Young 12+1reb+1ast, J.Maldonado 12+3reb+5ast, S.Maxwell 6+3reb, S.Arese 6+3reb+2ast

San Lorenzo - Ferro 83-53

The game had a very big importance for third-ranked San Lorenzo as it allowed them to take a leadership position. San Lorenzo smashed 14th ranked Ferro in Almagro 83-53. San Lorenzo dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Ferro's 32. San Lorenzo forced 22 Ferro turnovers. It was a good game for swingman Federico Grun (191-1996) who led his team to a victory with 19 points and 6 rebounds. The former international center Ivan Basualdo (203-1990) contributed with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals for the winners. Four San Lorenzo players scored in double figures. San Lorenzo's coach Leonardo Costa felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Naturalized Italian center Damian Tintorelli (205-1981) answered with 11 points and 7 rebounds and swingman Valentin Bettiga (189-1999) added 5 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Ferro. San Lorenzo (8-1) have an impressive series of six victories in a row. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Ferro at the other side keeps the fourteenth place with five games lost. Ferro will play next round against Platense trying to get back on the winning streak. San Lorenzo will try to continue on its current victory against seventh ranked San Martin in Corrientes.
Top scorers:
San Lorenzo: F.Grun 19+6reb+3ast, C.Francisco 16+1reb+3ast, G.Cordoba 10+7reb+1ast, I.Basualdo 10+6reb+4ast, L.Perez 9+3reb+4ast, E.Dupuy 7+1reb+2ast
Ferro: D.Tintorelli 11+7reb, R.Felipe 10+2reb+1ast, M.Fierro 7+7reb, V.Bettiga 5+8reb+2ast, L.Emiliano 5+3reb+2ast, M.Luchi 4+2reb+2ast

Instituto - Gimnasia 87-69

Rather predictable result when seventh ranked Instituto (6-3) won against 10th ranked Gimnasia (5-6) in Cordoba 87-69 on Saturday. The former international forward Bautista Lugarini (203-2001) nailed 8 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and the former international point guard Leandro Vildoza (180-1994) accounted for 11 points. American center Vaughn De (205-1988, college: Stillman) came up with 12 points and 6 rebounds and guard Guido Mariani (193-1994, agency: BIG) added 15 points respectively for Gimnasia in the defeat. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Instituto. They moved-up to sixth place. Loser Gimnasia keeps the tenth position with six games lost. Instituto will meet at home La Union (#15) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Gimnasia will play against Independ.O. (#17) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Instituto: F.Elias 14+1reb+1ast, F.Juan 12+1reb+1ast, L.Vildoza 11+4reb+2ast, B.Lugarini 8+7reb+3ast, B.Jefferson 8+4reb, M.Cosolito 8+4reb+3ast
Gimnasia: G.Mariani 15+3reb, G.De Vaughn 12+6reb+1ast, B.Nazione 11+6reb, S.Norberto 9+1reb+1ast, F.Podesta 5+2reb, J.Webster 4+4ast