LNBP Round 25 (Regular Season): Mineros lose to Soles in the game between Top 4 teams

The teams have now bigger motivation at this stage of Regular Season. Every game can be crucial and decide about teams' position at the end of Regular Season. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between Top Four teams took place in Mexicali. First ranked host Soles (21-3) smashed 4th placed Mineros (16-8) 92-60. They outrebounded Mineros 40-26 including a 29-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Argentinian guard Lucas Martinez (187-1990) stepped up and scored 17 points for the winners and American Donald Sims (190-1987, college: App State, agency: Pensack Sports) chipped in 16 points. At the losing side American guard Isaac Hamilton (196-1994, college: UCLA) responded with 8 points and 5 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Soles maintains first place with 21-3 record, which they share with Astros. Mineros at the other side dropped to the third position with eight games lost. They share it with Fuerza Regia and Diablos. Soles is looking forward to face Abejas (#12) in Guanajuato in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Mineros will play at home against the league's second-placed Astros (#2) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Guadalajara. Second ranked host Astros (21-3) defeated 3rd placed Fuerza Regia (16-8) 100-88. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Fuerza Regia. American swingman Chavaughn Lewis (195-1993, college: Marist) nailed 28 points and 5 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for the winning side and Rigoberto Mendoza accounted for 19 points. Kosovan-American Scott Bamforth (188-1989, college: Weber St.) came up with 21 points and 5 rebounds for Fuerza Regia in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Astros keep a position of league leader, which they share with Soles. Fuerza Regia at the other side keeps the third place with eight games lost. They share the position with Mineros and Diablos. Astros will play against Mineros (#5) in Zacatecas in the next round. Fuerza Regia will have a break next round.
The game in Aguascalientes was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Diablos (16-8) played at the court of 7th ranked Panteras (11-13). Diablos managed to secure a 6-point victory 97-91 on Sunday. Luciano Gonzalez fired 22 points and 4 assists for the winners. Tyrone White produced 26 points and 5 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) for lost side. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Diablos moved-up to third place, which they share with Fuerza Regia and Mineros. Loser Panteras keep the seventh position with 13 games lost. They share it with Correcaminos and Halc.Xalapa. Diablos will meet at home Correcaminos (#9) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Panteras will have a break next round.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 25: bottom-ranked Santos were destroyed by El Calor on the opponent's court 90-60. Halc.Xalapa unfortunately lost to Abejas in a home game 86-88. Dorados rolled over Freseros on the road 92-66. Correcaminos defeated Gambusinos on its own court 95-85.



Soles - Mineros 92-60

The game between Top Four teams took place in Mexicali. First ranked host Soles (21-3) smashed 4th placed Mineros (16-8) 92-60. They outrebounded Mineros 40-26 including a 29-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Argentinian guard Lucas Martinez (187-1990) stepped up and scored 17 points for the winners and American Donald Sims (190-1987, college: App State, agency: Pensack Sports) chipped in 16 points. Four Soles players scored in double figures. At the losing side American guard Isaac Hamilton (196-1994, college: UCLA) responded with 8 points and 5 rebounds and Bosnian Mirza Bulic (207-1992) scored 9 points 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. Soles maintains first place with 21-3 record, which they share with Astros. Mineros at the other side dropped to the third position with eight games lost. They share it with Fuerza Regia and Diablos. Soles is looking forward to face Abejas (#12) in Guanajuato in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Mineros will play at home against the league's second-placed Astros (#2) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Mineros: M.Bulic 9+1reb+5ast, T.Miller 8+2reb, I.Hamilton 8+5reb+3ast, J.Valinotti 8+3reb+3ast, D.McClanahan 7+3ast, K.Horton 7+3reb
Soles: L.Martinez 17+4reb+2ast, D.Sims 16+1reb+3ast, C.Zinaich 12+4reb+1ast, J.Webster 10+2reb+2ast, J.Moss 10+7reb+1ast, M.Warren 8+4reb+5ast

El Calor - Santos 90-60

Very expected game in Cancun where 14th ranked Santos (4-20) were crushed by tenth ranked El Calor (10-14) 90-60 on Sunday. El Calor looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Santos' players. American center Gerard DeVaughn (205-1988, college: Stillman) fired 20 points and 5 rebounds (perfect from the field making all nine shots !!!) for the winners. His fellow American import Max Landis (188-1993, college: PFW, agency: Promo Sport ID) chipped in 22 points. DeVaughn is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four El Calor players scored in double figures. Dominican Luismal Ferreiras (200-2003) produced a double-double by scoring 16 points and 14 rebounds and American guard Jaire Grayer (196-1996, college: TCU) added 13 points and 7 rebounds respectively for lost side. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. El Calor maintains tenth place with 10-14 record. Loser Santos stay dead last with 20 lost games. They share the position with Freseros. El Calor will meet Gambusinos (#11) in the next round. Santos will play against Freseros and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Santos: L.Ferreiras 16+14reb, J.Grayer 13+7reb+3ast, J.Haley Jr. 9+2ast, M.Bell 6+2reb+2ast, A.Kaye Williams 5+2reb, G.Ricks 4+4reb
El Calor: M.Landis 22+1reb, G.DeVaughn 20+5reb+2ast, J.Avila 12+4reb+3ast, A.Barber 11+3reb+8ast, M.Fernandez 9+3reb+1ast, L.Jones 5+3reb+6ast

Astros - Fuerza Regia 100-88

The game between Top Four teams took place in Guadalajara. Second ranked host Astros (21-3) defeated 3rd placed Fuerza Regia (16-8) 100-88. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Fuerza Regia. Astros made 26-of-31 charity shots (83.9 percent) during the game. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. American swingman Chavaughn Lewis (195-1993, college: Marist) nailed 28 points and 5 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for the winning side and Dominican Rigoberto Mendoza (191-1992) accounted for 19 points. Kosovan-American Scott Bamforth (188-1989, college: Weber St.) came up with 21 points and 5 rebounds and the former international center Joshua Ibarra (211-1995, college: HCU) added 16 points and 7 rebounds (perfect from the field making all seven shots !!!) respectively for Fuerza Regia in the defeat. Four Astros and five Fuerza Regia players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Astros keep a position of league leader, which they share with Soles. Fuerza Regia at the other side keeps the third place with eight games lost. They share the position with Mineros and Diablos. Astros will play against Mineros (#5) in Zacatecas in the next round. Fuerza Regia will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Fuerza Regia: S.Bamforth 21+5reb+2ast, J.Ibarra 16+7reb+1ast, A.Holmes 15+4reb+4ast, S.Shorter 12+2reb+3ast, W.Langston 11+6reb+1ast, L.Sullivan 7+1reb
Astros: C.Lewis 28+3reb+5ast, R.Mendoza 19+1reb+3ast, D.Cooper 13+4reb+4ast, D.Davis 11+4reb+5ast, D.Upson 7+4reb+1ast, W.Hodge 7+2reb+3ast

Halc.Xalapa - Abejas 86-88

There was a surprise result when twelfth ranked Abejas (5-19) edged on the road higher ranked Halcones UV Xalapa (11-13) 88-86 on Sunday. Abejas made 26-of-34 free shots (76.5 percent) during the game. Naturalized Puerto Rican guard Joseph Rivera (190-1993) fired 31 points and 7 assists for the winners. American power forward Makhi Mitchell (206-2000, college: Arkansas) chipped in 13 points and 6 rebounds. Argentinian-Italian point guard Fernando Zurbriggen (185-1997) produced 19 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists and the former international Gabriel Giron (192-1988) added 17 points and 5 rebounds respectively for lost side. Four Abejas and five Halc.Xalapa players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Abejas maintains twelfth place with 5-19 record. Loser Halcones UV Xalapa dropped to the seventh position with 13 games lost. They share it with Correcaminos and Panteras. Abejas will meet at home league's leader Soles in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Halc.Xalapa will play against Dorados (#6) in Chihuahua and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Halc.Xalapa: F.Zurbriggen 19+8reb+7ast, G.Giron 17+5reb+2ast, J.Washington 13+2reb+1ast, P.Stoll 11+1reb+5ast, R.Mahalbasic 10+8reb+1ast, S.Henry 8+2reb+4ast
Abejas: J.Rivera 31+3reb+7ast, M.Mitchell 13+6reb, D.Soto 11+2reb, Q.Greenaway 11+2reb+1ast, J.Kosakowski 5, E.Weaver 5+1reb+1ast

Freseros - Dorados 66-92

Not a big story in a game in Irapuato where 13th ranked Freseras (4-20) were rolled over by sixth ranked Dorados (15-9) 92-66 on Sunday. Dorados dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Freseras' 36 and made 16-of-18 free shots (88.9 percent) during the game. Dorados forced 24 Freseros turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists comparing to just 9 passes made by Freseros' players. American forward Michael Myers (206-1992, college: UMES, agency: Diamond Sports) fired 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. His fellow American import power forward Charles Mitchell (203-1993, college: Georgia Tech) chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds. Five Dorados players scored in double figures. Ukrainian forward Nikita Konstantynovskyi (208, college: Notre Dame) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds and American guard Harrison Butler (196, college: SUU) added 21 points respectively for lost side. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Dorados have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain sixth place with 15-9 record. Loser Freseras keep the thirteenth position with 20 games lost. They share it with Santos. Dorados will meet at home Halc.Xalapa (#8) in the next round. Freseros will play against Santos (#14) in San Luis Potosi and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Freseros: H.Butler 21+3reb+2ast, J.Moorman II 13+3reb+4ast, N.Konstantynovskyi 12+14reb, K.Coats 7+3reb+2ast, X.Green 5+3reb, K.Tapia 2+2reb
Dorados: M.Myers 16+7reb+1ast, C.Mitchell 14+6reb+3ast, A.Banks 14+1reb+7ast, J.Perkins 12+5reb+3ast, S.Branch 11+3reb+2ast, T.Johnson 9+2reb

Correcaminos - Gambusinos 95-85

Everything went according to plan in Ciudad Victoria where ninth ranked Correcaminos (11-13) beat 11th ranked Gambusinos (7-17) 95-85 on Sunday. Correcaminos made 23-of-28 free shots (82.1 percent) during the game. They shot the lights out from three sinking 14 long-distance shots on high 58.3 percentage. Americans were the main players on the court. Point guard Damien Daniels (170-2000, college: ACU) fired 22 points for the winners. Point guard Roddy Peters (193-1995, college: Nicholls) chipped in 14 points and 7 rebounds. Four Correcaminos players scored in double figures. Guard Bryon Allen (192-1992, college: GMU) produced 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and guard Michael Bryson (193-1994, college: UCSB) added 25 points respectively for lost side. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Correcaminos moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Halc.Xalapa and Panteras. Gambusinos lost eighth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh position with 17 games lost. Correcaminos will meet higher ranked Diablos (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Gambusinos will play against El Calor (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Gambusinos: M.Bryson 25, B.Allen 22+5reb+5ast, J.Zesati 11+8reb, J.Cunningham 9+8reb, B.Jackson 7+2reb+1ast, J.Narcis 6+2reb
Correcaminos: D.Daniels 22+4reb+1ast, C.Garcia 15+6reb+1ast, R.Peters 14+7reb+2ast, R.Brahin 10+4reb+1ast, G.Vazquez 9+2reb+1ast, T.Cracknell 9+4reb+2ast

Panteras - Diablos 91-97

The game in Aguascalientes was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Diablos (16-8) played at the court of 7th ranked Panteras (11-13). Diablos managed to secure a 6-point victory 97-91 on Sunday. Argentinian guard Luciano Gonzalez (194-1990) fired 22 points and 4 assists for the winners (made all of his seven free throws). American guard Daishon Smith (185-1995, college: ULM) chipped in 19 points and 6 assists. Five Diablos players scored in double figures. American guard Tyrone White (201-1990, college: CSUB) produced 26 points and 5 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) and Argentinian-American Erik Thomas (195-1995, college: New Orleans) added 21 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Diablos moved-up to third place, which they share with Fuerza Regia and Mineros. Loser Panteras keep the seventh position with 13 games lost. They share it with Correcaminos and Halc.Xalapa. Diablos will meet at home Correcaminos (#9) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Panteras will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Panteras: T.White 26+5reb+2ast, E.Thomas 21+6reb+2ast, J.Martin 10+1reb+5ast, T.Brown 9+2reb+4ast, S.Rodriguez 8+3reb+1ast, S.Lemon 7
Diablos: L.Gonzalez 22+4reb+4ast, D.Smith 19+4reb+6ast, D.Brite 15+2reb+5ast, G.Bonilla 10+6reb+1ast, M.Dime 10+5reb, T.Leimanis 6+2reb+1ast