Liga MB Round 18 (Regular Season): Fantasmas lose to Brujos in the game between Top 4 teams

Liga MB Regular Season is still in too early stage and there may be still significant changes in the standings. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between Top Four teams took place in Izalco. First ranked host Brujos (12-3) defeated 4th ranked Fantasmas (10-5) 88-79. Brujos forced 22 Fantasmas turnovers. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Brujos made 18 blocks. Forward Adonis Lopez (-1997) had a double-double by scoring 32 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 9 blocks to lead the charge for the winners and Dominican swingman Alejandro De Los Santos (193-2002) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Brujos' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was American guard Caleb Bowser (193, college: Georgian Court) with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Brujos have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 12-3 record. Fantasmas at the other side keep the fourth place with five games lost. They share the position with San Salvador. Brujos will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Fantasmas will play on the road against Santiagueno (#8) in Usultan and are hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
The game between Top Four teams took place in San Vicente. 4th ranked host Fantasmas (10-5) lost to third ranked Metapan (12-4) 88-74. Cuban forward Yoel Cubillas (204-1994) notched a double-double by scoring 23 points and 22 rebounds to lead the effort and Xavier Zambrana supported him with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Even 32 points and 8 rebounds by American swingman Andravious Smith (198-1995, college: Tougaloo) did not help to save the game for Fantasmas. Fantasmas' coach rotated ten players and allowed the starting five to rest. Metapan have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Cojute. Fantasmas at the other side keep the fourth position with five games lost. They share it with San Salvador. Metapan will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Fantasmas will play on the road against Santiagueno (#8) in Usultan and hope to get back on the winning track.
Bottom-ranked Chalchuapa (0-15) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their 15th consecutive match to eighth ranked Santiagueno (4-11) 108-70 on Saturday evening. The best player for the winners was Victor Carattini who had a double-double by scoring 61 points (!!!), 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. At the other side the best for losing team was Miguel Velez who recorded 30 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Santiagueno maintains eighth position with 4-11 record. Loser Chalchuapa still closes the standings with 15 games lost. Santiagueno will meet at home higher ranked Fantasmas (#5) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Chalchuapa will play against the league's second-placed Cojute (#2) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.

In the last game of round 18 Santa Ana was destroyed by Cojute on the opponent's court 106-81.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 35 points (!!!) and 11 rebounds by Shian Bradshaw of Santa Ana.



Brujos - Fantasmas 88-79

The game between Top Four teams took place in Izalco. First ranked host Brujos (12-3) defeated 4th ranked Fantasmas (10-5) 88-79. Brujos forced 22 Fantasmas turnovers. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Brujos made 18 blocks. Forward Adonis Lopez (-1997) had a double-double by scoring 32 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 9 blocks to lead the charge for the winners and Dominican swingman Alejandro De Los Santos (193-2002) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Brujos' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The best for the losing side was American guard Caleb Bowser (193, college: Georgian Court) with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and his fellow American import swingman Andravious Smith (198-1995, college: Tougaloo) produced a double-double by scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Fantasmas players scored in double figures. Brujos have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 12-3 record. Fantasmas at the other side keep the fourth place with five games lost. They share the position with San Salvador. Brujos will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Fantasmas will play on the road against Santiagueno (#8) in Usultan and are hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Brujos: L.Adonis 32+16reb+4ast, D.Los Santos Alejandro 20+6reb+1ast, A.Arias 12+7reb+7ast, A.Joe 8+1reb+1ast, C.Arias 8+6reb+3ast, R.Garcia 3+3reb+1ast
Fantasmas: C.Bowser 26+10reb+5ast, A.Smith 22+11reb+5ast, A.Smith 16+15reb+2ast, M.Ramos 10, J.Flores 3+1reb, K.Mejia 2+3reb

Chalchuapa - Santiagueno 70-108

Bottom-ranked Chalchuapa (0-15) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their 15th consecutive match to eighth ranked Santiagueno (4-11) 108-70 on Saturday evening. Santiagueno dominated down low during the game scoring 80 of its points in the paint compared to Chalchuapa's 48. They outrebounded Chalchuapa 63-35 including a 45-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. Santiagueno looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. The best player for the winners was Puerto Rican guard Victor Carattini (185-1992, college: PR-Bayamon) who had a double-double by scoring 61 points (!!!), 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Puerto Rican center Giovanny Martinez (206-1998, college: Jarvis Christian) chipped in a double-double by scoring 20 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was naturalized Puerto Rican swingman Miguel Velez (185-1997, college: Hartnell JC) who recorded 30 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Puerto Rican point guard Ryann Mercado (182-1987, college: App State) added 14 points and 7 assists respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Santiagueno maintains eighth position with 4-11 record. Loser Chalchuapa still closes the standings with 15 games lost. Santiagueno will meet at home higher ranked Fantasmas (#5) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Chalchuapa will play against the league's second-placed Cojute (#2) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Santiagueno: V.Carattini 61+10reb+4ast, G.Martinez 20+17reb+4ast, M.Aguilar 9+12reb+10ast, G.Andres 6+2reb+3ast, L.Ever 6+9reb, H.Saul 6+7reb+2ast
Chalchuapa: M.Velez 30+7reb+5ast, R.Mercado 14+3reb+7ast, M.Samuels 13+9reb+2ast, J.Galdamez 4+3reb+1ast, C.Nestor 4+3reb+3ast, A.Jonathan 3

Fantasmas - Metapan 74-88

The game between Top Four teams took place in San Vicente. 4th ranked host Fantasmas (10-5) lost to third ranked Metapan (12-4) 88-74. Metapan outrebounded Fantasmas 47-30 including a 32-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. Cuban forward Yoel Cubillas (204-1994) notched a double-double by scoring 23 points and 22 rebounds to lead the effort and Puerto Rican Xavier Zambrana (193-1991) supported him with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Four Metapan players scored in double figures. Even 32 points and 8 rebounds by American swingman Andravious Smith (198-1995, college: Tougaloo) did not help to save the game for Fantasmas. His fellow American import Aaren Smith (198-1997, college: UDC) added 16 points and 8 rebounds. Fantasmas' coach rotated ten players and allowed the starting five to rest. Metapan have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Cojute. Fantasmas at the other side keep the fourth position with five games lost. They share it with San Salvador. Metapan will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Fantasmas will play on the road against Santiagueno (#8) in Usultan and hope to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Metapan: L.Saravia 28+4reb, Y.Cubillas 23+22reb+1ast, X.Zambrana 22+15reb+3ast, R.Miranda 10+3reb, L.Hernandez 5+3reb+1ast, M.Tejada 0
Fantasmas: A.Smith 32+8reb+2ast, A.Smith 16+8reb+2ast, C.Bowser 15+5reb+2ast, M.Ramos 9+1reb, C.Sorto 2+1reb, S.Ricardo 0

Cojute - Santa Ana 106-81

Very expected game in Cojutepeque where 7th ranked Santa Ana (5-12) was crushed by third ranked Cojute (12-4) 106-81 on Sunday. Cojute outrebounded Santa Ana 54-36 including a 37-26 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 31 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Santa Ana's players. The best player for the winners was American Nick Moore (198-1991, college: Alliance) who had a double-double by scoring 12 points and 29 rebounds. The other American import guard Jeremy Agosto (177-1997) chipped in a double-double by scoring 25 points, 14 assists and 4 steals. Five Cojute players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American swingman Shian Bradshaw (194-1995, college: Wake Tech CC) who recorded a double-double by scoring 35 points (!!!) and 11 rebounds and Dominican forward Frankyn Batista (198-1999, college: Pace) added 32 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks respectively. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Cojute moved-up to second place, which they share with Metapan. Loser Santa Ana keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. Cojute will meet at home bottom-ranked Chalchuapa (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Santa Ana will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Cojute: A.Jeremy 25+2reb+14ast, S.Kevin 19+5reb+2ast, K.Martinez 16+4reb+4ast, P.Figueroa 14+2reb+2ast, N.Moore 12+29reb+1ast, M.William 8+2reb+1ast
Santa Ana: S.Bradshaw 35+11reb+1ast, F.Batista 32+14reb+1ast, A.Luis 8+2ast, L.Fernando 2+3reb, M.Demar 2+1ast, A.Gross 2+2reb