LPB Round 5 (Regular Season): Toros lose to Correcaminos

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Top ranked Toros (8-2) recorded its second loss in David on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by third ranked Correcaminos (7-3) 71-58. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Toros. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. The best player for the winners was Uruguayan-Brazilian center Hatila Passos (211-1985, college: NM State) who scored 6 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Roberto Armstrong (182-2000) chipped in 18 points and 4 assists. Correcaminos' coach used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Center Jaime Lloreda (204-1980, college: LSU) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 13 rebounds for the hosts. Correcaminos have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Dragonesxx'. Toros at the other side still keep top position with two games lost.
Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Panama City: Dragones (#2) and Panteras (#5). Dragones (7-3) crushed visiting Panteras (2-8) by 20 points 75-55. American swingman CJ Jones (198-1998, college: MTSU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). Joshua Lemon contributed with 13 points for the winners. Argentinian point guard Brian Flores (172-2000) answered with 20 points, 5 assists and 5 steals for Panteras. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Dragonesxx' maintains second place with 7-3 record behind leader Toros, which they share with Correcaminos. Panteras at the other side keep the fifth position with eight games lost.
Another exciting game was again a derby between two local teams from Panama City: Atletico (#4) and Panteras (#5). Panteras were crushed at home by 38 points 69-107 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. Adalberto Rojas stepped up and scored 19 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Atletico's coach felt very confident that he used 11 players saving starting five for next games. Kevin Ellis responded with 15 points (perfect from the field making all six shots). Defending champion maintains fourth place with 5-5 record. Loser Panteras keep the fifth position with eight games lost.

Other games of round 5 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Correcaminos crushed Union Scorpions in Colon 93-42. Toros beat Union Scorpions at home 76-68. Dragonesxx' lost to Union Scorpions on the opponent's court 89-107.
The best stats of 5th round was 44 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds by Jhonny Murillo of Union Scorpions.



Union Scorpions - Correcaminos 42-93

There was no surprise when 6th ranked Union Scorpions (1-9) were crushed at home by third ranked Correcaminos (7-3) 93-42 on Wednesday. Correcaminos outrebounded Union Scorpions 52-30 including a 20-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. Correcaminos looked well-organized offensively handing out 31 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Union Scorpions' players. Forward Pablo Rivas (198-1994, college: NCCU) stepped up and scored 13 points and 8 rebounds for the winners and Uruguayan-Brazilian center Hatila Passos (211-1985, college: NM State) chipped in 4 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Rivas is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Correcaminos players scored in double figures. Correcaminos' coach felt very confident that he used entire bench saving starting five for next games. Swingman Luis Ibarra (188-1985) responded with 8 points and 6 rebounds and center Jose Toruno (200-2002) scored 4 points and 7 rebounds. Correcaminos have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Dragonesxx'. Union Scorpions lost ninth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom position with nine games lost.
Top scorers:
Correcaminos: P.Rivas 13+8reb+1ast, M.Barnes 12+1reb+4ast, M.Hicks 11+5reb+2ast, E.Bell 11+6reb+1ast, D.Duque 10+2reb+3ast, T.Gaskins 10+1reb+4ast
Union Scorpions: J.Williams 8+4reb, L.Ibarra 8+6reb+2ast, L.Poyatos 8+2reb, E.Brown 5+3reb+1ast, J.Toruno 4+7reb+1ast, J.Murillo 4+1ast

Dragonesxx' - Panteras 75-55

Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Panama City: Dragones (#2) and Panteras (#5). Dragones (7-3) crushed visiting Panteras (2-8) by 20 points 75-55. American swingman CJ Jones (198-1998, college: MTSU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). Swingman Joshua Lemon (180) contributed with 13 points for the winners. Argentinian point guard Brian Flores (172-2000) answered with 20 points, 5 assists and 5 steals and American forward Sita Conteh (203-1998, college: Coppin St.) added 12 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Panteras. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Dragonesxx' maintains second place with 7-3 record behind leader Toros, which they share with Correcaminos. Panteras at the other side keep the fifth position with eight games lost.
Top scorers:
Dragonesxx': C.Jones 30+6reb+4ast, D.Shedden 14+2reb+1ast, J.Lemon 13+4reb+2ast, J.Quintero 9+5reb+2ast, E.Gonzalez 6+4reb+4ast, E.Solis 2
Panteras: B.Flores 20+4reb+5ast, S.Conteh 12+8reb+1ast, R.Aguilar 10+8reb+2ast, A.Correa 6+5reb, I.Munoz 4+8reb, J.Diaz 3+3reb+3ast

Toros - Union Scorpions 76-68

No shocking result in a game in David where first ranked Toros (8-2) defeated bottom-ranked Union Scorpions (1-9) 76-68 on Friday. Toros outrebounded Union Scorpions 51-32 including a 42-27 advantage in defensive rebounds. Alejandro Grant (199-1993) stepped up and scored 23 points and 7 rebounds for the winners and point guard Guillermo Shuffler (181-2003) chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Forward Carlos Oglive (195-2000) responded with 23 points and 6 rebounds and swingman Luis Ibarra (188-1985) scored 11 points and 5 rebounds. Union Scorpions' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Toros have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain first place with 8-2 record. Union Scorpions lost ninth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom position with nine games lost.
Top scorers:
Toros: A.Grant 23+7reb+2ast, G.Shuffler 17+6reb+4ast, G.Foster 11+5reb+4ast, D.Wilson 9+5reb, J.Mendoza 6+3reb+3ast, F.Barrera 4+9reb+1ast
Union Scorpions: C.Oglive 23+6reb+1ast, L.Ibarra 11+5reb+2ast, C.Brathwaite 9+4reb+2ast, J.Toruno 8+6reb+2ast, J.Murillo 8+6reb+2ast, L.Poyatos 4+1reb

Panteras - Atletico Nacional 69-107

Another exciting game was again a derby between two local teams from Panama City: Atletico (#4) and Panteras (#5). Panteras were crushed at home by 38 points 69-107 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. Atletico Nacional shot 60.3 percent from the field. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists comparing to just 8 passes made by Panteras' players. Naturalized American Adalberto Rojas (200-1986) stepped up and scored 19 points and 5 rebounds for the winners and point guard Gonzalo Ortiz Jr (182-2002) chipped in 17 points. Five Atletico players scored in double figures. Atletico's coach felt very confident that he used 11 players saving starting five for next games. American swingman Kevin Ellis (193-1998) responded with 15 points (perfect from the field making all six shots) and the other American import forward Sita Conteh (203-1998, college: Coppin St.) scored 10 points and 6 rebounds. Defending champion maintains fourth place with 5-5 record. Loser Panteras keep the fifth position with eight games lost.
Top scorers:
Atletico Nacional: A.Rojas 19+5reb+2ast, G.Ortiz Jr. 17+3reb+1ast, A.Castillo 12+3reb+2ast, A.Pile 11+4reb+3ast, H.Dayton 10+3reb+2ast, J.King 10+5reb+4ast
Panteras: K.Ellis 15+3reb+1ast, B.Flores 11+3reb+1ast, S.Conteh 10+6reb+3ast, A.Correa 8, D.Castano 8+1ast, D.Laguna 7+1ast

Toros - Correcaminos 58-71

Top ranked Toros (8-2) recorded its second loss in David on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by third ranked Correcaminos (7-3) 71-58. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Toros. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. The best player for the winners was Uruguayan-Brazilian center Hatila Passos (211-1985, college: NM State) who scored 6 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Roberto Armstrong (182-2000) chipped in 18 points and 4 assists. Correcaminos' coach used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Center Jaime Lloreda (204-1980, college: LSU) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 13 rebounds and point guard Guillermo Shuffler (181-2003) added 10 points and 13 assists respectively for the hosts. Correcaminos have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Dragonesxx'. Toros at the other side still keep top position with two games lost.
Top scorers:
Correcaminos: R.Armstrong 18+3reb+4ast, P.Rivas 16+3reb+1ast, T.Gaskins 13+4reb+3ast, G.Atencio 6+7reb+3ast, H.Passos 6+14reb+5ast, A.Gedeon 5+3reb+1ast
Toros: A.Sanchez 16+3reb, J.Lloreda 14+13reb+1ast, G.Shuffler 10+1reb+13ast, G.Foster 9+5reb+1ast, A.Grant 7+5reb+2ast, D.Wilson 2+3reb

Union Scorpions - Dragonesxx' 107-89

There was an upset when second-ranked Dragones (7-3) were defeated on the road by bottom-ranked Union Scorpions (1-9) 107-89 on Sunday. Jhonny Murillo stepped up and scored 44 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds for the winners and Luis Poyatos (180-2007) chipped in 29 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Union Scorpions' coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Costa Rican forward Daniel Shedden (193-1996, college: MSUB) responded with 27 points and 4 assists and American swingman CJ Jones (198-1998, college: MTSU) scored 18 points and 9 rebounds. Union Scorpions maintains sixth place with 1-9 record. Loser Dragones keeps the second position with three games lost. They share it with Correcaminos.
Top scorers:
Union Scorpions: J.Murillo 44+7reb+3ast, L.Poyatos 29+7reb+6ast, E.Brown 10+6reb, C.Oglive 8+6reb, J.Toruno 5+3reb+1ast, L.Ibarra 4+3reb+2ast
Dragonesxx': D.Shedden 27+3reb+4ast, C.Jones 18+9reb+3ast, G.Llerena 11+10reb+2ast, E.Solis 7+8reb+3ast, E.Gonzalez 7+3reb+3ast, D.Hun 7+6reb+2ast