LSB Round 5: Leones lose to Real Esteli in the game between Top 4 teams

Here is the last round review presented by ESL.

Very significant was Real Esteli's (#1, 5-0) victory against 3rd placed Leones (3-2) 73-69. Real Esteli dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Leones' 26 and made 20-of-23 free shots (87.0 percent) during the game, while Leones only scored four points from the stripe. Real Esteli forced 20 Leones turnovers. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Real Esteli made 7 blocks. Center Barthel Lopez (213-89) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winners and Puerto Rican guard Jared Ruiz (188-92) chipped in 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Real Esteli's coach used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American swingman Jonathan Ocasio (203-92, college: New Haven, agency: Paris Global Sports) responded with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Undefeated Real Esteli (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with a perfect record of 5 victories in a row. Leones at the other side keep the third position with two games lost.
Very significant was Jinotega's (#2, 4-1) victory against 3rd placed Leones (3-2) 91-80. Owens Kelly nailed a double-double by scoring 20 points and 15 rebounds for the winning side and Dayton Cacho accounted for 27 points and 6 rebounds. Puerto Rican swingman Xavier Zambrana (193-91) came up with 26 points and 8 rebounds for Leones in the defeat. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Jinotega. They maintain second place with 4-1 record behind leader Real Esteli. Leones at the other side keep the third position with two games lost.
LSB top team - Real Esteli (5-0) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed fifth ranked Jass (1-4) in Managua 87-58. The best player for the winners was Jared Ruiz who scored 17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Jose Ortiz produced 20 points for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Real Esteli. Defending champion maintains first place with 5-0 record. Jass lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the fifth position with four games lost.
Bottom-ranked Costa Caribe (0-5) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their fifth consecutive match to fourth ranked Indigenas (2-3) 86-72. Miguel Evangelista orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Newly promoted Indigenas maintains fourth place with 2-3 record. Costa Caribe lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost.

Costa Caribe - Indigenas 72-86

Bottom-ranked Costa Caribe (0-5) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their fifth consecutive match to fourth ranked Indigenas (2-3) 86-72. Indigenas forced 20 Costa Caribe turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 25 assists. Dominican Miguel Evangelista (-91) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds. American-Puerto Rican forward Carlos Emory (196-91) contributed with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Four Indigenas players scored in double figures. American Timothy Jackson (198-93, college: Lindenwood-Bellev.) answered with 18 points and 6 rebounds and the other American import forward Tyquan Scott (201, college: Herkimer County) added 18 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for Costa Caribe. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Newly promoted Indigenas maintains fourth place with 2-3 record. Costa Caribe lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost.
Top scorers:
Costa Caribe: T.Scott 18+5reb+2ast, T.Jackson 18+6reb+1ast, S.Hodgson 7+8reb+3ast, F.Cox 6+5reb, J.Campbell 5+3reb, G.Smith 5+7reb+3ast
Indigenas: M.Evangelista 23+14reb+2ast, C.Emory 19+12reb+4ast, V.Thomas 19+6reb+2ast, R.Abraham 11+6reb+9ast, D.Tenorio 8+1reb+5ast, R.Mendoza 4+2reb+1ast

Real Esteli - Leones 73-69

Very significant was Real Esteli's (#1, 5-0) victory against 3rd placed Leones (3-2) 73-69. Real Esteli dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Leones' 26 and made 20-of-23 free shots (87.0 percent) during the game, while Leones only scored four points from the stripe. Real Esteli forced 20 Leones turnovers. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Real Esteli made 7 blocks. Center Barthel Lopez (213-89) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winners and Puerto Rican guard Jared Ruiz (188-92) chipped in 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Real Esteli players scored in double figures. Real Esteli's coach used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American swingman Jonathan Ocasio (203-92, college: New Haven, agency: Paris Global Sports) responded with 21 points and 5 rebounds and Puerto Rican swingman Xavier Zambrana (193-91) scored 8 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. Real Esteli (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with a perfect record of 5 victories in a row. Leones at the other side keep the third position with two games lost.
Top scorers:
Leones: J.Ocasio 21+5reb+3ast, P.Martinez 14+6reb+1ast, X.Zambrana 8+15reb+4ast, J.Matos 7+6reb+5ast, R.Munoz 6+4reb, A.Borge 6+3reb
Real Esteli: J.Ruiz 18+7reb+5ast, B.Lopez 18+15reb, C.Blake 17+3reb, O.Torres 14+9reb+5ast, M.Mackenzie 2+3reb, J.Martinez 2+2reb

Jinotega - Leones 91-80

Very significant was Jinotega's (#2, 4-1) victory against 3rd placed Leones (3-2) 91-80. Jinotega dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Leones' 34. Owens Kelly nailed a double-double by scoring 20 points and 15 rebounds for the winning side and the former international guard Dayton Cacho (186-91) accounted for 27 points and 6 rebounds. Four Jinotega players scored in double figures. Puerto Rican swingman Xavier Zambrana (193-91) came up with 26 points and 8 rebounds and American swingman Jonathan Ocasio (203-92, college: New Haven, agency: Paris Global Sports) added 5 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for Leones in the defeat. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Jinotega. They maintain second place with 4-1 record behind leader Real Esteli. Leones at the other side keep the third position with two games lost.
Top scorers:
Leones: X.Zambrana 26+8reb+2ast, P.Martinez 20+3reb+1ast, J.Matos 13+4reb+3ast, J.Ocasio 5+15reb+4ast, R.Munoz 5+9reb+2ast, M.Garcia 4+1reb+1ast
Jinotega: D.Cacho 27+6reb+1ast, K.Owens 20+15reb+1ast, D.Cacho 16+11reb+3ast, E.Ortiz 13+4reb+9ast, Q.Johnson 8+1reb+2ast, M.Rafael 4

Jass - Real Esteli 58-87

LSB top team - Real Esteli (5-0) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they crushed fifth ranked Jass (1-4) in Managua 87-58. Real Esteli dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Jass' 28. Real Esteli forced 23 Jass turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Jass' players. The best player for the winners was Puerto Rican guard Jared Ruiz (188-92) who scored 17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. American Chris Blake (195-88, college: Detroit Mercy) chipped in 15 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Jose Ortiz produced 20 points and South African forward Pieter Prinsloo (208-92, college: Marist, agency: Promo Sport ID) added 5 points and 14 rebounds respectively for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Real Esteli. Defending champion maintains first place with 5-0 record. Jass lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the fifth position with four games lost.
Top scorers:
Jass: J.Ortiz 20+4reb+1ast, H.Barberena 9+5reb+2ast, M.Keyon 9+2reb+4ast, J.Jonathan 8+3reb, P.Prinsloo 5+14reb, A.Kevin 2+1reb+1ast
Real Esteli: O.Torres 18+3reb, J.Ruiz 17+6reb+6ast, C.Blake 15+5reb+6ast, M.Mackenzie 9+2reb, D.Maldonado 8+3reb+2ast, C.Gonzalez 7+4reb+2ast