Liga MB Round 9 (Regular Season): A.Lobos keep a leadership position

There are only two more rounds left in the Regular Season in Liga MB. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked A.Lobos as it allowed them to take a leadership position. A.Lobos defeated 8th ranked San Salvador at home 88-83. A.Lobos looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when A.Lobos made 11 blocks. The best player for the winners was naturalized American center Marc Montavious (202-1990, college: Georgetown, KY) who scored 14 points, 24 rebounds, 9 assists and 5 blocks. American forward Lincoln Smith (196, college: Lamar) chipped in 22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. At the other side the best for losing team was Dominican Bernardo Polanco (189-1994) who recorded 42 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds. A.Lobos (8-1) have an impressive series of eight victories in a row. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. San Salvador lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the ninth place with six games lost. San Salvador will play next round against strong Metapan trying to get back on the winning streak. A.Lobos will try to continue on its current victory against fourth ranked Cojute in Cojutepeque.
Important game to mention about took place in Cojutepeque. Fifth ranked Cojute (5-3) saved a 2-point victory at home edging 4th placed San Miguel (5-3) 66-64 in the game for the fourth place. It was a good game for Venezuelan-Colombian center Michael Hinestroza (210-1990, college: Little Rock) who led his team to a victory with 15 points and 24 rebounds. Sean Scott contributed with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. American Nick Moore (198-1991, college: Alliance) answered with a double-double by scoring 22 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks for San Miguel. Cojute moved-up to fourth place, which they share with defeated San Miguel. Cojute will play against league's leader A.Lobos in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. San Miguel will have a break next round.
Bottom-ranked Ahuachapan (0-8) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 76-74 loss to sixth ranked Salvadorenos (4-4) in San Salvador on Sunday evening. Ibrahin Hechavarria stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winners. The best for the losing side was Brent Kelly with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. The victory was the third consecutive win for Salvadorenos. They maintain sixth place with 4-4 record. Ahuachapan lost their eighth game in a row. They still close the standings with eight games lost. Salvadorenos will meet at home Santiagueno (#7) in the next round. Ahuachapan will play against Brujos (#10) and hopes to get finally their first victory.

In the last two games of round 9 Metapan defeated Santiagueno in a road game 105-88. Brujos were smashed by Santa Ana at home 96-115.



A.Lobos - San Salvador 88-83:
The game had a very big importance for second-ranked A.Lobos as it allowed them to take a leadership position. A.Lobos defeated 8th ranked San Salvador at home 88-83. A.Lobos looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when A.Lobos made 11 blocks. The best player for the winners was naturalized American center Marc Montavious (202-1990, college: Georgetown, KY) who scored 14 points, 24 rebounds, 9 assists and 5 blocks. American forward Lincoln Smith (196, college: Lamar) chipped in 22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Five A.Lobos players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was Dominican Bernardo Polanco (189-1994) who recorded 42 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds and Colombian guard Yovany Del Rosario (185-2002) added 11 points, 24 rebounds and 5 assists respectively. A.Lobos (8-1) have an impressive series of eight victories in a row. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. San Salvador lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the ninth place with six games lost. San Salvador will play next round against strong Metapan trying to get back on the winning streak. A.Lobos will try to continue on its current victory against fourth ranked Cojute in Cojutepeque.
Top scorers:
A.Lobos: L.Smith 22+6reb+8ast, M.Melendez 21+6reb+2ast, M.Montavious 14+24reb+9ast, M.Paz 10+5reb+2ast, E.Rojas 10+3reb, F.Carcamo 6+1reb+1ast
San Salvador: B.Polanco 42+7reb+1ast, M.Marcos 16+2ast, Y.Del Rosario 11+24reb+5ast, G.Jaime 9+8reb+2ast, S.Kevin 5+4reb+3ast, A.Aldahir 0+1reb

Cojute - San Miguel 66-64:
Important game to mention about took place in Cojutepeque. Fifth ranked Cojute (5-3) saved a 2-point victory at home edging 4th placed San Miguel (5-3) 66-64 in the game for the fourth place. Cojute dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to San Miguel's 34. It was a good game for Venezuelan-Colombian center Michael Hinestroza (210-1990, college: Little Rock) who led his team to a victory with 15 points and 24 rebounds. American forward Sean Scott (190-1997, college: Pfeiffer) contributed with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. American Nick Moore (198-1991, college: Alliance) answered with a double-double by scoring 22 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks and the other American import guard Daylon Potts (196, college: Simpson, CA) added 9 points and 19 rebounds in the effort for San Miguel. Cojute moved-up to fourth place, which they share with defeated San Miguel. Cojute will play against league's leader A.Lobos in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. San Miguel will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Cojute: S.Scott 21+7reb+4ast, M.Hinestroza 15+24reb+3ast, K.Martinez 14+3reb+4ast, V.Argueta 4+1reb, W.Cabrera 4+3ast, D.Ventura 4
San Miguel: N.Moore 22+15reb+2ast, B.Diego 20+1reb+2ast, P.Daylon 9+19reb+1ast, D.Daniels 8+4reb+4ast, H.Rafael 3+1reb+2ast, G.Mauricio 2+1ast

Santiagueno - Metapan 88-105:
There was no surprise in Usultan where 6th ranked Santiagueno (3-4) was defeated by second ranked Metapan (7-1) 105-88 on Saturday. Metapan forced 19 Santiagueno turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 33 assists. Cuban forward Yoel Cubillas (204-1994) stepped up and scored 30 points and 8 rebounds for the winners and center Brayan Garcia (200-1998) chipped in 13 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Four Metapan players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was Colombian center John Hernandez (207-1984) with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 11 rebounds and Colombian forward Anders Valencia (201-1997) scored 27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Metapan. They maintain second place with 7-1 record behind leader A.Lobos. Santiagueno at the other side dropped to the seventh position with four games lost. Metapan will meet at home San Salvador (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Santiagueno will play against Salvadorenos in San Salvador and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Metapan: Y.Cubillas 30+8reb+2ast, J.Savoy 17+5reb+5ast, B.Garcia 13+8reb+8ast, A.Tobar 12+3reb+2ast, A.Barahona 12+4reb+7ast, E.Cornejo 9+5reb+4ast
Santiagueno: J.Hernandez 28+11reb+1ast, A.Valencia 27+7reb+4ast, D.Gerbaudo 13+2reb+20ast, Q.Cristian 6, L.Ever 6+4reb, E.Armando 2

Brujos - Santa Ana 96-115:
No shocking result in a game in Izalco where third ranked Santa Ana (7-2) smashed 10th ranked Brujos (1-7) 115-96 on Sunday. Santa Ana looked well-organized offensively handing out 34 assists. American swingman Ajang Aguek (206-2000, college: Lander) stepped up with a triple-double by scoring 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for the winners and his fellow American import guard Darnell Johnson (201, college: CSUSB) chipped in 30 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Four Santa Ana players scored in double figures. Santa Ana's coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was Alejandro de Los Santos with 38 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds and American swingman Devyn Franklin (203, college: GSU) produced a double-double by scoring 26 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Santa Ana. They maintain third place with 7-2 record behind leader A.Lobos. Brujos lost their third game in a row. They keep the tenth position with seven games lost. Santa Ana will meet at home Salvadorenos (#6) in the next round. Brujos will play against Ahuachapan (#11) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Santa Ana: J.Darnell 30+10reb+6ast, K.LeAndrew 27+8reb+7ast, A.Aguek 25+14reb+11ast, A.Colocho 17+12reb+4ast, L.Portal 7+1reb, S.Gross 6+3ast
Brujos: d.Los Santos Alejandro 38+9reb+3ast, D.Franklin 26+12reb+5ast, C.Eduardo 11+2reb+2ast, U.Josue 7+8reb+2ast, O.Angelo 7+1reb+12ast, G.Gustavo 3+2reb+3ast

Salvadorenos - Ahuachapan 76-74:
Bottom-ranked Ahuachapan (0-8) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 76-74 loss to sixth ranked Salvadorenos (4-4) in San Salvador on Sunday evening. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Salvadorenos made 9 blocks. Cuban forward Ibrahin Hechavarria (206-2000) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winners and forward William Merino (187-2000) chipped in 14 points and 13 rebounds. The best for the losing side was American guard Brent Kelly (185-2000, college: Nichols) with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and the other American import point guard Conner Kelley (190-1997, college: NNMC) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. Five Ahuachapan players scored in double figures. The victory was the third consecutive win for Salvadorenos. They maintain sixth place with 4-4 record. Ahuachapan lost their eighth game in a row. They still close the standings with eight games lost. Salvadorenos will meet at home Santiagueno (#7) in the next round. Ahuachapan will play against Brujos (#10) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Salvadorenos: D.Minero 20+4reb+3ast, I.Hechavarria 18+16reb, W.Merino 14+13reb+2ast, E.Rodriguez 9+7reb+7ast, D.Sanchez 8+3reb, M.Rodriguez 3+2reb+5ast
Ahuachapan: B.Kelly 19+9reb+7ast, P.Kevin 15+7reb+2ast, C.Kelley 12+13reb+4ast, B.William 11+8reb, C.Paul 10+3reb, C.Josue 3+4reb+3ast