TBS Round 1 of Final Four. Wins for Mauricio Baez and Barias

Mauricio Baez - San Carlos 86-84

Mauricio Baez held off San Carlos in the semifinal round opener. Mauricio Baez dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to San Carlos' 40. San Carlos were plagued by 26 personal fouls down the stretch. Forward Juan Miguel Suero (196-93) nailed 32 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and naturalized American guard Gerardo Suero (196-89, college: Albany) accounted for 23 points and 9 rebounds. American Gerel Simmons (188-93, college: LMU, agency: Duran International) came up with 26 points and 5 assists and the other American import forward Daniel Hamilton (201-95, college: UConn) added 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for San Carlos in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game.
Top scorers:
Mauricio Baez: J.Miguel Suero 32+9reb+3ast, G.Suero 23+9reb+3ast, J.White 13+5reb, M.Evangelista 6+4reb, A.Davis 5+5reb+2ast, Y.Minaya 3+2reb+2ast
San Carlos: G.Simmons 26+4reb+5ast, E.Guzman 17+4reb, D.Hamilton 10+7reb+5ast, J.Matos 9+3reb, E.Sanchez 9+1reb+1ast, D.Quinn 6+4reb

Barias - San Lazaro 98-84

Barias defeated San Lazaro to take 1-0 record in the semifinal stage. Barias looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. Swingman LJ Figueroa (198-98, college: Oregon) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 29 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and American Paris Bass (203-95, college: Detroit) chipped in 30 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. At the losing side American point guard Greg Foster (190-89, college: SVSU) responded with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 11 assists and American-Puerto Rican swingman Justin Reyes (193-95, college: STAC) scored 17 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
Barias: P.Bass 30+9reb+4ast, L.Figueroa 29+10reb+5ast, T.Mitchell 12+9reb+3ast, F.Elpidio 11+1reb+6ast, D.De La Cruz 5+1reb+2ast, J.Fortuna 5+4reb+6ast
San Lazaro: J.Reyes 17+4reb+3ast, G.Foster 17+1reb+11ast, O.Cabrera 14+4reb, R.Putney 12+8reb+2ast, O.Sanchez 7+7reb+2ast, E.Tejada 7+3reb



Tags : JUAN MIGUEL SUERO, METROPOLITANOS DE MAURICIO BAEZ, DOMINICAN REP. BASKETBALL