Liga MB Round 15 (Regular Season): Salvadorenos defeat Ahuachapan in the closest game of the week

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

Eighth-ranked Ahuachapan (2-13) gave a tough game to fifth ranked Salvadorenos (10-5) in San Salvador on Sunday. Salvadorenos managed to secure only two-point victory 77-75. However their fans expected easier game. Salvadorenos forced 22 Ahuachapan turnovers. It was a great evening for point guard Diego Rivera (175-2007) who led his team to a victory scoring 25 points and 7 rebounds. point guard Erick Rodriguez (179-2006) helped adding 17 points and 10 assists. The best for the losing side was American-Laos guard Kadeim Jones (191-1999, college: UWG) with 37 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds. Salvadorenos moved-up to fourth place. Ahuachapan at the other side keeps the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Santiagueno. Salvadorenos are looking forward to face league's second-placed A.Lobos in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Ahuachapan will play against Brujos (#6) in Izalco and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Santa Tecla. 4th placed host Santa Tecla (10-6) was smashed by third ranked San Salvador (12-4) 109-82. It was an exceptional evening for naturalized Canadian forward Jonathan Rivera (206-2000, college: York) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 18 rebounds. Giancarlo Toledo-Rivera accounted for 23 points. San Salvador's coach Arturo Mata felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Dominican Xavier dela Rosa (196-1991) came up with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for Santa Tecla in the defeat. San Salvador have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain third place with 12-4 record having just one point less than leader Metapan. Santa Tecla lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth position with six games lost. San Salvador will play against Santiagueno (#8) in Usultan in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Santa Tecla will play on the road against Santa Ana and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Liga MB top team - Metapan (14-1) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they beat seventh ranked Cojute (4-11) in Cojutepeque 82-64. The best player for the winners was Yoel Cubillas who had a double-double by scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was Hector Maldonado who recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Metapan have an impressive series of ten victories in a row. They maintain first place with 14-1 record. Cojute lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the seventh position with 11 games lost. Metapan will meet Santiagueno (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Cojute will play against Santa Ana and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 15: Salvadorenos lost to Brujos on the opponent's court 54-61. A.Lobos outscored Santiagueno in a home game 128-90. Brujos managed to beat Santiagueno on the road 61-53.



Brujos - Salvadorenos 61-54

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams in Izalco where 5th ranked Salvadorenos (10-5) were defeated by sixth ranked Brujos (9-6) 61-54 on Friday. Brujos outrebounded Salvadorenos 46-31 including a 36-25 advantage in defensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was Bahamas forward KJ Reckley (201, college: Niagara, agency: Fully Feared Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 17 points and 16 rebounds. American forward Samuel Cota (193) chipped in a double-double by scoring 15 points and 15 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was point guard Erick Rodriguez (179-2006) who recorded 15 points and 7 assists and naturalized Mali power forward Ibrahima Traore (208-2005, college: Utah) added 12 points and 8 rebounds respectively. Salvadorenos' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Brujos have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain sixth place with 9-6 record. Loser Salvadorenos dropped to the fourth position with five games lost. Brujos will meet at home Ahuachapan (#9) in the next round. Salvadorenos will play against the league's second-placed A.Lobos (#2) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Salvadorenos: R.Erick 15+3reb+7ast, T.Ibrahima 12+8reb+1ast, M.Diego 10+2reb+1ast, R.Diego 7+3reb+4ast, C.Kevin 6+3reb+1ast, L.Erick 2+2reb+1ast
Brujos: R.KJ 17+16reb+3ast, S.Cota 15+15reb+3ast, K.Brent 10+4reb+5ast, J.Araujo 5, M.Castillo 5+1reb, H.Ventura 5+1reb+5ast

A.Lobos - Santiagueno 128-90

Very predictable result when second ranked A.Lobos (12-3) smashed at home 8th ranked Santiagueno (2-13) 128-90 on Saturday. A.Lobos dominated down low during the game scoring 96 of its points in the paint compared to Santiagueno's 56. A.Lobos forced 19 Santiagueno turnovers and outrebounded them 43-32 including a 32-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. A.Lobos looked well-organized offensively handing out 50 assists comparing to just 31 passes made by Santiagueno's players. The best player for the winners was naturalized American center Marc Montavious (202-1990, college: Georgetown, KY) who scored 27 points, 25 rebounds and 8 assists. American Timothy Simmons (195-1992, college: DBU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 31 points and 11 assists (on 14-of-16 shooting from the field). Five A.Lobos players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was Italian-Argentinian point guard Diego Gerbaudo (178-1989) who recorded 17 points, 8 rebounds and 20 assists and American point guard Darius Daniels (183-1997) added 40 points (!!!) respectively. A.Lobos have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain second place with 12-3 record having just two points less than leader Metapan. Loser Santiagueno keeps the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Ahuachapan. A.Lobos will meet Salvadorenos (#4) in the next round. Santiagueno will play against the league's leader Metapan (#1) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Santiagueno: D.Daniels 40+3reb+1ast, J.Hernandez 23+13reb+5ast, D.Gerbaudo 17+8reb+20ast, C.Baltazar 6+2reb+3ast, E.Santiago 4+4reb+1ast, A.Alexis 0+2reb+1ast
A.Lobos: T.Simmons 31+3reb+11ast, M.Montavious 27+25reb+8ast, J.Savoy 23+4reb+13ast, E.Rojas 19+2reb+6ast, A.Colocho 15+8reb+6ast, G.Galdamez 6

Cojute - Metapan 64-82

Liga MB top team - Metapan (14-1) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they beat seventh ranked Cojute (4-11) in Cojutepeque 82-64. They outrebounded Cojute 47-33 including a 16-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was Cuban forward Yoel Cubillas (204-1994) who had a double-double by scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds. Center Brayan Garcia (200-1998) chipped in a double-double by scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks. Four Metapan players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was Puerto Rican guard Hector Maldonado (185-1991, agency: DON TECA SPORTS CONNECTION) who recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists and American center Troidell Carter (206-1991, college: Slippery Rock) added 15 points and 8 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) respectively. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Metapan have an impressive series of ten victories in a row. They maintain first place with 14-1 record. Cojute lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the seventh position with 11 games lost. Metapan will meet Santiagueno (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Cojute will play against Santa Ana and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Cojute: A.Aldahir 17+3reb+1ast, H.Maldonado 17+13reb+4ast, C.Troidell 15+8reb+1ast, C.Walter 7+1ast, M.Ronald 4+3reb+3ast, Q.Carlos 4+2reb+1ast
Metapan: Y.Cubillas 21+11reb+2ast, A.Barahona 17+3reb+5ast, B.Garcia 15+12reb+5ast, A.Tobar 10+12reb+2ast, J.Avila 9+3reb, L.Vasquez 8+6reb+4ast

Santiagueno - Brujos 53-61

Not a big story in a game in Usultan where 8th ranked Santiagueno (2-13) was defeated by sixth ranked Brujos (9-6) 61-53 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was Bahamas forward KJ Reckley (201, college: Niagara, agency: Fully Feared Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 13 rebounds. American forward Samuel Cota (193) chipped in 9 points and 13 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was Colombian center John Hernandez (207-1984) who recorded 9 points and 18 rebounds and American point guard Darius Daniels (183-1997) added 18 points respectively. The victory was the third consecutive win for Brujos. They maintain sixth place with 9-6 record. Loser Santiagueno keeps the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Ahuachapan. Brujos will meet at home Ahuachapan (#9) in the next round. Santiagueno will play against the league's leader Metapan and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Santiagueno: D.Daniels 18+3reb+1ast, A.Alexis 13+3reb, J.Hernandez 9+18reb+1ast, D.Gerbaudo 6+11reb+5ast, C.Baltazar 4+3reb+3ast, L.Ever 1+2reb
Brujos: R.KJ 25+13reb+2ast, K.Brent 15+4reb+3ast, H.Ventura 9+3reb+4ast, S.Cota 9+13reb+2ast, J.Araujo 3+7reb+3ast, M.Castillo 0

Salvadorenos - Ahuachapan 77-75

Eighth-ranked Ahuachapan (2-13) gave a tough game to fifth ranked Salvadorenos (10-5) in San Salvador on Sunday. Salvadorenos managed to secure only two-point victory 77-75. However their fans expected easier game. Salvadorenos forced 22 Ahuachapan turnovers. It was a great evening for point guard Diego Rivera (175-2007) who led his team to a victory scoring 25 points and 7 rebounds. point guard Erick Rodriguez (179-2006) helped adding 17 points and 10 assists. Four Salvadorenos players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American-Laos guard Kadeim Jones (191-1999, college: UWG) with 37 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds and Paul Castro produced a double-double by scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds. Salvadorenos moved-up to fourth place. Ahuachapan at the other side keeps the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Santiagueno. Salvadorenos are looking forward to face league's second-placed A.Lobos in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Ahuachapan will play against Brujos (#6) in Izalco and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Ahuachapan: J.Kadeim 37+8reb+2ast, C.Paul 15+10reb+3ast, M.Jr. Wright 14+10reb+3ast, J.Claxton 5+15reb+3ast, B.Kevin 4+3reb, P.Gabriel 0
Salvadorenos: D.Rivera 25+7reb+2ast, E.Rodriguez 17+3reb+10ast, I.Traore 13+14reb+2ast, D.Minero 13+2reb, G.Medrano 7+10reb+1ast, K.Carrillo 2+6reb+1ast

Santa Tecla - San Salvador 82-109

The game between Top Four teams took place in Santa Tecla. 4th placed host Santa Tecla (10-6) was smashed by third ranked San Salvador (12-4) 109-82. San Salvador dominated down low during the game scoring 66 of its points in the paint compared to Santa Tecla's 38. They outrebounded Santa Tecla 46-28 including a 37-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. It was an exceptional evening for naturalized Canadian forward Jonathan Rivera (206-2000, college: York) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 18 rebounds. American guard Giancarlo Toledo-Rivera (185, college: UC Santa Cruz) accounted for 23 points for the winning side. Five San Salvador players scored in double figures. San Salvador's coach Arturo Mata felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Dominican Xavier dela Rosa (196-1991) came up with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and guard Gerardo Rivas (182-2001) added 14 points and 5 rebounds respectively for Santa Tecla in the defeat. San Salvador have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain third place with 12-4 record having just one point less than leader Metapan. Santa Tecla lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth position with six games lost. San Salvador will play against Santiagueno (#8) in Usultan in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Santa Tecla will play on the road against Santa Ana and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Santa Tecla: X.dela Rosa 28+6reb+5ast, R.Gerardo 14+5reb+3ast, N.Najeen 9+3reb+1ast, C.Sammy 9+1reb+3ast, P.Kevin 9+1ast, C.Edwin 7+8reb+1ast
San Salvador: G.Toledo-Rivera 23+4reb+1ast, J.Rivera 19+18reb+3ast, S.Scott 17+6reb+2ast, M.Menjivar 15+5reb+5ast, L.Valle 14+4reb+2ast, J.Gonzalez 9+2reb+1ast