Liga MB Round 3: Fantasmas defeat Santa Tecla in the closest game of the week

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 3 in the Liga MB took place in San Vicente. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of Santa Tecla (1-4) to Fantasmas (2-2) 88-85 on Saturday evening. Fantasmas forced 23 Santa Tecla turnovers. Strangely Santa Tecla outrebounded Fantasmas 56-40 including a 41-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. 28 personal fouls committed by Santa Tecla helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a great evening for American point guard Darius Daniels (178) who led his team to a victory scoring 34 points (!!!), 6 rebounds and 8 assists. His fellow American import swingman Andravious Smith (198-1995, college: Tougaloo) helped adding 36 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds. The best for the losing side was Dominican power forward Jose Espinal (208-1998) with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 21 rebounds. Santa Tecla's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Fantasmas is looking forward to face Cojute in Cojutepeque in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Santa Tecla will have a break next round.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Metapan. host Metapan (2-2) lost to Cojute (6-0) 96-83. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Jeremy Agosto (177-1997) who led the winners and scored 32 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Nick Moore accounted for 15 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists. American point guard Leangelo Saravia (183, college: Oakland City) came up with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals for Metapan in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Cojute will play against Fantasmas (#4) in San Vicente in the next round. Metapan will have a break next round.
The game in Izalco was also quite interesting. San Salvador (4-0) played at the court of Brujos (2-2). San Salvador managed to secure a 8-point victory 101-93 on Friday. The best player for the winners was Neysser Coutin who had a double-double by scoring 27 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was Alejandro De Los Santos who recorded 25 points and 5 rebounds. Brujos' coach tested twelve players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. San Salvador will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Brujos will play against Santiagueno in Usultan and hope to secure a win.



Brujos - San Salvador 93-101

The game in Izalco was also quite interesting. San Salvador (4-0) played at the court of Brujos (2-2). San Salvador managed to secure a 8-point victory 101-93 on Friday. San Salvador dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Brujos' 38 and made 26-of-32 free shots (81.3 percent) during the game. San Salvador forced 20 Brujos turnovers and outrebounded them 47-33 including a 17-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when San Salvador made 9 blocks. The best player for the winners was Cuban swingman Neysser Coutin (192-1996, agency: Pro Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 27 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists. Cuban guard Pedro Roque (187-1995) chipped in 20 points and 8 rebounds (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line). At the other side the best for losing team was Dominican forward Alejandro De Los Santos (193-2002) who recorded 25 points and 5 rebounds and guard Joe Araujo (187-1986) added 14 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Five San Salvador and four Brujos players scored in double figures. Brujos' coach tested twelve players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. San Salvador will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Brujos will play against Santiagueno in Usultan and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Brujos: D.Los Santos Alejandro 25+5reb+2ast, J.Crespin 15+1reb, A.Joe 14+7reb+2ast, F.Angulo 12+2reb, A.Arias 9+7reb+6ast, R.Garcia 7+3reb+2ast
San Salvador: N.Coutin 27+16reb+7ast, P.Roque 20+8reb+2ast, E.Rodriguez 16+6reb+5ast, B.Garcia 15+12reb+2ast, L.Valle 13+1reb+2ast, J.Avila 5+3reb

Fantasmas - Santa Tecla 88-85

The most exciting game of round 3 in the Liga MB took place in San Vicente. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of Santa Tecla (1-4) to Fantasmas (2-2) 88-85 on Saturday evening. Fantasmas forced 23 Santa Tecla turnovers. Strangely Santa Tecla outrebounded Fantasmas 56-40 including a 41-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. 28 personal fouls committed by Santa Tecla helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a great evening for American point guard Darius Daniels (178) who led his team to a victory scoring 34 points (!!!), 6 rebounds and 8 assists. His fellow American import swingman Andravious Smith (198-1995, college: Tougaloo) helped adding 36 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds. The best for the losing side was Dominican power forward Jose Espinal (208-1998) with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 21 rebounds and Dominican swingman Elian Torres (201-2000) produced a double-double by scoring 20 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. Santa Tecla's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Fantasmas is looking forward to face Cojute in Cojutepeque in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Santa Tecla will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Santa Tecla: J.Espinal 25+21reb+1ast, E.Torres 20+15reb+3ast, H.Kristhian 14+2reb+3ast, W.Gonzalez 9+2reb+2ast, J.Barahona 8+11reb+9ast, L.Marcus 5
Fantasmas: A.Smith 36+5reb+2ast, D.Darius 34+6reb+8ast, A.Smith 12+13reb+4ast, C.Sorto 6+4reb+5ast, S.Ricardo 0, H.David 0

Metapan - Cojute 83-96

The game between Top Four teams took place in Metapan. host Metapan (2-2) lost to Cojute (6-0) 96-83. Cojute dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Metapan's 34. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Jeremy Agosto (177-1997) who led the winners and scored 32 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. His fellow American import Nick Moore (198-1991, college: Alliance) accounted for 15 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. American point guard Leangelo Saravia (183, college: Oakland City) came up with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals and Puerto Rican Xavier Zambrana (193-1991) added 18 points and 12 rebounds respectively for Metapan in the defeat. 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. Cojute will play against Fantasmas (#4) in San Vicente in the next round. Metapan will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Metapan: L.Saravia 26+6reb+5ast, X.Zambrana 18+12reb+1ast, M.Tejada 13, L.Hernandez 11+7reb+2ast, A.Regalado 5+4reb+2ast, H.Noe 4+4reb+2ast
Cojute: A.Jeremy 32+7reb+6ast, P.Figueroa 19+5reb+2ast, M.William 17+6reb+2ast, N.Moore 15+16reb+5ast, K.Martinez 8+2reb+2ast, G.Jefferson 3