LPB U23 Round 7 (Regular Season): Colon hands first loss to Panama Metro

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Panama Metro (10-1) in Panama City on Friday night. Hosts were defeated by Colon (15-0) 82-69. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Panama Metro. Colon dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Panama Metro's 28. They outrebounded Panama Metro 49-29 including a 30-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Worth to mention a great performance of power forward Aldimir Castillo (203-2002) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds. Hammurabi De Leon contributed with 11 points and 17 rebounds for the winners. point guard Diego Duque (167-2003) answered with 20 points and 4 assists for Panama Metro. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Undefeated Colon have an impressive series of eight victories in a row. They maintain first place with 15-0 record. Panama Metro at the other side keeps the second position with one game lost. Colon are looking forward to face Veraguas (#4) in Santiago in the next round. Panama Metro will play at home against Herrera and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.
Bottom-ranked Los Santos is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their 14th consecutive match to third ranked Cocle (10-6) 88-39. It was a great evening for swingman Joshua Lemon (180) who led his team to a victory scoring 13 points and 5 rebounds. Jhoshua Bonilla helped adding 12 points and 8 rebounds. At the losing side Anthony Cassino responded with 12 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Cocle maintains third place with 10-6 record having four points less than leader Colon. Los Santos lost their tenth game in a row. They still close the standings with 14 games lost. Cocle will play against Panama Oeste (#9) in Panama City in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Los Santos will play on the road against Panama Norte in Panama City and hope to get finally their first victory.
Tenth-ranked Herrera (3-11) was very close to win a game against fifth ranked Veraguas (9-5) in Santiago on Friday. Veraguas managed to secure only one-point victory 75-74. However their fans expected much easier game. It was an exceptional evening for Carlos Moreno who led the winners and scored 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Abraham Bingham came up with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds for Herrera in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Veraguas moved-up to fourth place. Herrera lost their sixth game in a row. They keep the tenth position with 11 games lost. Veraguas will meet at home league's leader Colon in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Herrera will play against the league's second-placed Panama Metro (#2) in Panama City and hope to secure a win.

Other games in round 7 were not that significant. Panama Norte was beaten by Panama Oeste on the road 86-80. Guna Yala was destroyed by Bocas Del Toro on its own court 62-104. Chiriqui unfortunately lost to Panama Este in Panama City 64-71.



Panama Oeste - Panama Norte 86-80

There was a surprise result when tenth ranked Panama Oeste (3-7) beat 4th placed Panama Norte (8-3) in Panama City 86-80 on Friday. It was an exceptional evening for Anthony Jones who led the winners and scored 25 points (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field). Aimar Gonzalez accounted for 11 points for the winning side. Point guard Gonzalo Ortiz Jr (182-2002) came up with 29 points and 4 steals and David Castano added 14 points and 5 assists respectively for Panama Norte in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Panama Oeste moved-up to ninth place. Loser Panama Norte dropped to the fifth position with three games lost. Panama Oeste will meet higher ranked Cocle (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Panama Norte will play against Los Santos and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Panama Oeste: A.Jones 25+1reb+1ast, A.Gonzalez 11+2reb+2ast, K.Thompson 10+3reb+2ast, G.Perez 9+1reb+2ast, A.Wilson 8+6reb+1ast, L.Brown 7+4reb+1ast
Panama Norte: G.Ortiz Jr. 29+4reb+3ast, D.Castano 14+1reb+5ast, J.Mendoza 11+1reb+1ast, R.Aguilar 7+6reb+2ast, J.Flores 7+4reb, D.Betegon 4+3reb

Panama Metro - Colon 69-82

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Panama Metro (10-1) in Panama City on Friday night. Hosts were defeated by Colon (15-0) 82-69. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Panama Metro. Colon dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Panama Metro's 28. They outrebounded Panama Metro 49-29 including a 30-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Worth to mention a great performance of power forward Aldimir Castillo (203-2002) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds. Hammurabi De Leon contributed with a double-double by scoring 11 points and 17 rebounds for the winners. Point guard Diego Duque (167-2003) answered with 20 points and 4 assists and point guard Guillermo Navarro (181-2003) added 15 points and 6 assists in the effort for Panama Metro. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Colon have an impressive series of eight victories in a row. They maintain first place with 15-0 record. Panama Metro at the other side keeps the second position with one game lost. Colon are looking forward to face Veraguas (#4) in Santiago in the next round. Panama Metro will play at home against Herrera and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
Colon: A.Castillo 26+11reb+1ast, J.Zapata 17+4reb+5ast, H.De Leon 11+17reb+1ast, R.Paul 9+3reb+1ast, J.Marcel 8+1reb, J.Vega 4+4reb+2ast
Panama Metro: D.Duque 20+4reb+4ast, G.Navarro 15+3reb+6ast, L.Poyatos 14+3reb, B.Lasso 6+9reb+2ast, E.Brown 6+6reb+1ast, J.Murillo 6+2reb

Guna Yala - Bocas Del Toro 62-104

Very expected game when 11th ranked Guna Yala (2-12) was smashed by sixth ranked Bocas Del Toro (8-7) in Gaigirgordub 104-62 on Friday. Bocas Del Toro dominated down low during the game scoring 94 of its points in the paint compared to Guna Yala's 48. They outrebounded Guna Yala 75-31 including a 37-10 advantage in offensive rebounds. It was an exceptional evening for Roberto Mitchell who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 20 rebounds. Leonel Gordn accounted for 14 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals for the winning side. Four Bocas Del Toro players scored in double figures. Bocas Del Toro's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Jaime Rosas came up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds and Juan Veroy added 15 points respectively for Guna Yala in the defeat. Bocas Del Toro maintains sixth place with 8-7 record. Guna Yala lost their fifth game in a row. They keep the eleventh position with 12 games lost. Bocas Del Toro will meet Panama Este (#7) in the next round. Guna Yala will play against Chiriqui (#8) in David and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Bocas Del Toro: J.Lewis 19+9reb+1ast, R.Mitchell 18+20reb, L.Gordn 14+7reb+8ast, J.Williams 13+3reb+1ast, J.Lewis 13+5reb, J.Valdez 10+6reb
Guna Yala: J.Rosas 20+11reb+1ast, J.Veroy 15+3reb+1ast, A.Parks 11+4reb+2ast, Y.Diaz 6+1ast, M.Tejada 4+7reb+2ast, J.Bryant 4+5reb+1ast

Veraguas - Herrera 75-74

Tenth-ranked Herrera (3-11) was very close to win a game against fifth ranked Veraguas (9-5) in Santiago on Friday. Veraguas managed to secure only one-point victory 75-74. However their fans expected much easier game. Veraguas shot 24 for 35 from the free-throw line, while Herrera only scored six points from the stripe. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Veraguas made 12 blocks. It was an exceptional evening for Carlos Moreno who led the winners and scored 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Marlon Madrid accounted for 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. Abraham Bingham came up with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds and guard Christian Quintero (188-2003, college: Cabrillo CC) added 13 points, 7 assists and 5 steals respectively for Herrera in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Veraguas moved-up to fourth place. Herrera lost their sixth game in a row. They keep the tenth position with 11 games lost. Veraguas will meet at home league's leader Colon in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Herrera will play against the league's second-placed Panama Metro (#2) in Panama City and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Veraguas: C.Moreno 19+6reb+4ast, M.Madrid 15+8reb+5ast, J.Toruno 13+10reb+1ast, J.Gordon 9+2reb, A.Garcia 8+7reb, D.Ortiz 5+3ast
Herrera: J.Diaz 19+2reb+1ast, A.Bingham 14+12reb, C.Quintero 13+2reb+7ast, J.Ford 6+2reb+1ast, E.Alonso 6+1ast, M.Tello 6+2reb

Panama Este - Chiriqui 71-64

The game between closely ranked teams ended with seventh ranked Panama Este's (7-4) home victory over 8th ranked Chiriqui (5-10) in Panama City 71-64 on Friday. Panama Este forced 24 Chiriqui turnovers and outrebounded them 45-28 including 30 on the defensive glass. It was an exceptional evening for Alexander Pile (198) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 13 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Angel Rivera accounted for 14 points and 11 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) for the winning side. Jahir Lizondro came up with 11 points and 8 rebounds and Sebastian Villaverde added 11 points respectively for Chiriqui in the defeat. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Panama Este. They maintain seventh place with 7-4 record. Chiriqui lost their third game in a row. They keep the eighth position with ten games lost. Panama Este will meet at home higher ranked Bocas Del Toro (#6) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Chiriqui will play against Guna Yala and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Panama Este: E.Pinillo 15+6reb+5ast, A.Rivera 14+11reb+1ast, A.Pile 13+17reb+7ast, G.Llerena 8+3reb+1ast, R.Navarro 7+2ast, A.Dominguez 7+4reb
Chiriqui: S.Villaverde 11+2reb, J.Lizondro 11+8reb+3ast, J.Leon 8+4reb+1ast, P.Toruno 7+2reb, J.Arauz 6+4ast, D.Ramirez 6+2reb+1ast

Cocle - Los Santos 88-39

Bottom-ranked Los Santos is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their 14th consecutive match to third ranked Cocle (10-6) 88-39. Cocle dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Los Santos' 24. Cocle forced 20 Los Santos turnovers and outrebounded them 45-30 including 18 on the offensive glass. Cocle players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists comparing to just 6 passes made by Los Santos' players. It was a great evening for swingman Joshua Lemon (180) who led his team to a victory scoring 13 points and 5 rebounds. Jhoshua Bonilla helped adding 12 points and 8 rebounds. Four Cocle players scored in double figures. At the losing side Anthony Cassino responded with 12 points and Phillip Flaaut scored 13 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Cocle maintains third place with 10-6 record having four points less than leader Colon. Los Santos lost their tenth game in a row. They still close the standings with 14 games lost. Cocle will play against Panama Oeste (#9) in Panama City in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Los Santos will play on the road against Panama Norte in Panama City and hope to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Cocle: J.Lemon 13+5reb+3ast, J.Bonilla 12+8reb+1ast, F.Gonzalez 11+4reb+1ast, A.Martinez 11+5reb+4ast, C.Rivas 10+5reb, J.Verdooren 7+1reb+1ast
Los Santos: P.Flaaut 13+2reb, A.Cassino 12+4reb, D.Dominguez 5+3reb, A.Mendez 4+3reb+2ast, M.Zarzavilla 3+9reb, C.Castillo 2+3reb+2ast