SLB Round 9: Cocodrilos edge Brillantes by three points

SLB is at the halfway of the Regular Season and there are still another 9 rounds left. Here is the last round review presented by ESL.

Eighth-ranked Brillantes (1-7) made lots of trouble for second ranked Cocodrilos (7-1) in Caracas on Wednesday. The visitors managed to secure only three-point victory 71-68. However their fans expected much easier game. Cocodrilos outrebounded Brillantes 43-32 including 32 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was the former international point guard Gregory Vargas (182-86, agency: Pro Sports) who scored 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The former international forward Luis Bethelmy (200-86) chipped in 16 points and 12 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was swingman Melvin Zambrano (193-95) who recorded 18 points and 6 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Cocodrilos have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Trotamundos and Spartans. Brillantes lost third consecutive game. They keep the eighth place with seven games lost. They share the position with Heroes. Cocodrilos' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Caracas Spartans.
Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Caracas: Diablos (#4) and Llaneros (#5). Diablos (6-2) crushed visiting Llaneros (3-5) by 25 points 78-53. It was a good game for guard Jesus Centeno (190-85) who led his team to a victory with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Jhon Romero contributed with 14 points (perfect from the field making all six shots) for the winners. Forward Cristian Centeno (195-96) answered with 8 points and 5 rebounds for Llaneros. 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 third consecutive win for Diablos. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Broncos. Llaneros at the other side keep the fifth position with five games lost. They share it with Gladiadores. Diablos' supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Caracas Heroes.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Porlamar. Leader Guaiqueries faced 4th placed Gigantes. Host Guaiqueries (8-0) defeated guests from Puerto Ordaz (4-4) 72-66. Jesus Martinez stepped up and scored 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. The best for the losing side was Luis Duarte with 23 points (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the eighth consecutive win for Guaiqueries. They maintain first place with 8-0 record. Loser Gigantes keep the fourth position with four games lost. They share it with Indios. Guaiqueries will meet Taurinos (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Gigantes will play against the league's second-placed Trotamundos in La Asuncion and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Leader Spartans delivered the seventh victory. This time they crushed 7th ranked Bucaneros (2-6) 79-42 in La Guaira. Windi Graterol nailed a double-double by scoring 13 points and 13 rebounds for the winning 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. Defending champion maintains first place with 7-1 record, which they share with Cocodrilos and Trotamundos. Bucaneros lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the seventh position with six games lost. Spartans' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Caracas to the arena Cocodrilos.
Bottom-ranked Condores (0-7) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 72-58 loss to seventh ranked Taurinos (2-5) in La Asuncion on Tuesday evening. The best player for the winners was Michael Flores who scored 22 points. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Taurinos maintains seventh place with 2-5 record. Condores lost their seventh game in a row. They still close the standings with seven games lost. Taurinos will face league's leader Guaiqueries in Porlamar in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Condores will play at home against Cangrejeros (#8) and hope to get finally their first victory.

Other games of round 9 were very predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Broncos defeated Heroes in Caracas 81-65. Trotamundos beat Centauros at home 74-66. Winless Cangrejeros lost to Indios on the opponent's court 57-64.
The best stats of 9th round was 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists by Derwin Ramirez of Indios.

Bucaneros - Spartans 42-79

Leader Spartans delivered the seventh victory. This time they crushed 7th ranked Bucaneros (2-6) 79-42 in La Guaira. Spartans dominated down low during the game scoring 44 of its points in the paint compared to Bucaneros' 24. Spartans forced 20 Bucaneros turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 26 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Bucaneros' players. Spartans brought some defensive toughness making 8 blocks. International center Windi Graterol (204-86, agency: Pro Sports) nailed a double-double by scoring 13 points and 13 rebounds for the winning side and international guard Yohanner Sifontes (192-95) accounted for 11 points and 6 assists. Four Spartans players scored in double figures. Eduardo Diaz (205-93) came up with 7 points and 14 rebounds and point guard Emiro Hernandez (188-94) added 11 points respectively for Bucaneros in the defeat. 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. Defending champion maintains first place with 7-1 record, which they share with Cocodrilos and Trotamundos. Bucaneros lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the seventh position with six games lost. Spartans' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Caracas to the arena Cocodrilos.
Top scorers:
Spartans: J.Sojo 16+1reb+2ast, W.Graterol 13+13reb+1ast, Y.Sifontes 11+4reb+6ast, J.Rodriguez 10+6reb+2ast, L.Lopez 8+4reb+8ast, N.Palacios 7+4reb+3ast
Bucaneros: E.Hernandez 11+1reb+2ast, E.Diaz 7+14reb+2ast, T.Marcano 6+4reb, D.Bryant 5+4reb+2ast, E.Torres 5, J.Medina 4+1reb+1ast

Diablos - Llaneros 78-53

Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Caracas: Diablos (#4) and Llaneros (#5). Diablos (6-2) crushed visiting Llaneros (3-5) by 25 points 78-53. Diablos held Llaneros to an opponent 24.1 percent shooting from the field compared to 52.5 percent accuracy of the winners. Diablos had a 36-22 advantage in offensive rebounds. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists comparing to just 9 passes made by Llaneros' players. It was a good game for guard Jesus Centeno (190-85) who led his team to a victory with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The former international forward Jhon Romero (199-85) contributed with 14 points (perfect from the field making all six shots) for the winners. Forward Cristian Centeno (195-96) answered with 8 points and 5 rebounds and Antonio Diaz (192-99) added 5 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Llaneros. 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 third consecutive win for Diablos. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Broncos. Llaneros at the other side keep the fifth position with five games lost. They share it with Gladiadores. Diablos' supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Caracas Heroes.
Top scorers:
Diablos: J.Romero 14+4reb+2ast, C.Anyelo 10+7reb+1ast, M.Sierralta 9+1reb+1ast, E.Alcala 9+4reb, J.Martinez 8+3reb, J.Centeno 8+7reb+5ast
Llaneros: C.Centeno 8+5reb+1ast, C.Rodriguez 8+3reb, J.Tovar 7+1reb+2ast, D.Antonio 5+7reb, C.Gustavo 4+4reb, V.Luis 4+2reb

Taurinos - Condores 72-58

Bottom-ranked Condores (0-7) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 72-58 loss to seventh ranked Taurinos (2-5) in La Asuncion on Tuesday evening. They dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Condores' 34. Taurinos forced 23 Condores turnovers. The best player for the winners was the former international guard Michael Flores (192-85) who scored 22 points. Forward Jesus Rodriguez (200-93) chipped in 9 points and 9 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was Colombian forward Miguel Fernandez (194-92) who recorded a double-double by scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds and point guard Carlos Gascon (178-90) added 13 points and 4 assists respectively. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Taurinos maintains seventh place with 2-5 record. Condores lost their seventh game in a row. They still close the standings with seven games lost. Taurinos will face league's leader Guaiqueries in Porlamar in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Condores will play at home against Cangrejeros (#8) and hope to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Taurinos: M.Flores 22+3reb+2ast, O.Polanco 13+3reb+2ast, L.Betancourt 11+4reb+4ast, J.Rodriguez 9+9reb+2ast, M.Avila 9+4reb+3ast, R.Valdez 4+2reb+5ast
Condores: M.Fernandez 14+11reb+2ast, C.Gascon 13+4reb+4ast, H.Anthony 7+1reb+4ast, R.Millan 6+1reb+1ast, E.Rodriguez 5+4reb, J.Lopez 5+3reb+1ast

Guaiqueries - Gigantes 72-66

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Porlamar. Leader Guaiqueries faced 4th placed Gigantes. Host Guaiqueries (8-0) defeated guests from Puerto Ordaz (4-4) 72-66. Power forward Jesus Martinez (206-86) stepped up and scored 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winners and international Edgar Martinez (199-97) chipped in 15 points. The best for the losing side was swingman Luis Duarte (190-94) with 23 points (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) and the former international swingman Jose Vargas (195-82, agency: Pro Sports) scored 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the eighth consecutive win for Guaiqueries. They maintain first place with 8-0 record. Loser Gigantes keep the fourth position with four games lost. They share it with Indios. Guaiqueries will meet Taurinos (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Gigantes will play against the league's second-placed Trotamundos in La Asuncion and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Guaiqueries: E.Martinez 15+3reb+1ast, J.Martinez 13+9reb, F.Centeno 10+2reb, E.Montano 10+3reb+1ast, G.Correa 8+2reb+1ast, J.Materan 7+3reb+3ast
Gigantes: L.Duarte 23+3reb, J.Vargas 11+5reb+4ast, G.Curvelo 8+6reb+2ast, M.Bolivar 7+4reb+4ast, F.Lucena 6, A.Sucre 6+7reb+3ast

Heroes - Broncos 65-81

There was no surprise in Caracas where 9th ranked Heroes (1-7) were defeated by fourth ranked Broncos (6-2) 81-65 on Wednesday. Broncos outrebounded Heroes 45-32 including 18 on the offensive glass. Heroes were plagued by 34 personal fouls down the stretch. The best player for the winners was the former international forward Junior Martinez (200-92) who scored 16 points and 8 rebounds. Forward Jaime Finol (195-87) chipped in 11 points and 5 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international swingman Rafael Perez (193-82) who recorded 19 points and naturalized Colombian Jackson Zapata (198-85) added 14 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Broncos. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Diablos. Heroes lost their fourth game in a row. They dropped to the eighth position with seven games lost. Broncos' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Caracas Brillantes.
Top scorers:
Broncos: J.Martinez 16+8reb, M.Mayron 12+1reb+1ast, J.Finol 11+5reb+2ast, D.Arias 8+7reb, S.Garly 8+7reb+2ast, R.Michael 8+4reb+1ast
Heroes: R.Perez 19+3reb+3ast, J.Zapata 14+7reb+3ast, N.Moran 11+3reb+3ast, C.Jefferson 6+3reb+1ast, C.Yocsy 4+1reb+2ast, S.Quiroz 4+5reb+1ast

Trotamundos - Centauros 74-66

No shocking result in a game in La Asuncion where second ranked Trotamundos (7-1) defeated 5th ranked Centauros (3-4) 74-66 on Wednesday. Trotamundos forced 30 Centauros turnovers. The best player for the winners was naturalized American Donta Smith (201-83, college: SE Illinois JC) who had a double-double by scoring 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 steals. Swingman Elvis Baez (191-89) chipped in 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Four Trotamundos players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was Dominican guard Kelvin Pena (193-80, college: Southeastern) who recorded 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and Luis Germany (195-95) added 8 points and 11 rebounds respectively. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Trotamundos. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Cocodrilos and Spartans. Loser Centauros dropped to the sixth place with four games lost. Trotamundos will face Gigantes (#5) in Puerto Ordaz in the next round. Centauros' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Margarita to the arena Supersonicos.
Top scorers:
Trotamundos: M.Joe 18+2reb+1ast, E.Baez 16+5reb+4ast, C.Milano 14+7reb+1ast, D.Smith 11+11reb+5ast, F.Fuenmayor 6+1reb, G.Pino 5+4reb
Centauros: K.Pena 19+6reb+5ast, E.Lugo 10+1reb, J.Pinero 9+10reb, L.Germany 8+11reb, J.Bracho 8+5reb+5ast, Y.Valera 4+3reb+1ast

Brillantes - Cocodrilos 68-71

Eighth-ranked Brillantes (1-7) made lots of trouble for second ranked Cocodrilos (7-1) in Caracas on Wednesday. The visitors managed to secure only three-point victory 71-68. However their fans expected much easier game. Cocodrilos outrebounded Brillantes 43-32 including 32 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was the former international point guard Gregory Vargas (182-86, agency: Pro Sports) who scored 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The former international forward Luis Bethelmy (200-86) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds. Four Cocodrilos players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was swingman Melvin Zambrano (193-95) who recorded 18 points and 6 rebounds and Neill Ojeda (190-91) added 9 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists respectively. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Cocodrilos have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Trotamundos and Spartans. Brillantes lost third consecutive game. They keep the eighth place with seven games lost. They share the position with Heroes. Cocodrilos' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Caracas Spartans.
Top scorers:
Cocodrilos: G.Vargas 21+5reb+7ast, L.Bethelmy 16+12reb+2ast, N.Colmenares 11+13reb+2ast, E.Hernandez 10+2reb, C.Garcia 4+2reb+2ast, N.Brandon 3+1reb+1ast
Brillantes: M.Zambrano 18+6reb+1ast, R.Rada 11+4reb+1ast, N.Ojeda 9+8reb+6ast, L.Zerpa 9+1reb+2ast, D.Cedeno 6+1reb+1ast, H.Ortega 5+5reb

Indios - Cangrejeros 64-57

Rather expected game in Caracas where bottom-ranked Cangrejeros (0-5) were defeated by sixth ranked Indios (4-4) 64-57 on Wednesday. Indios forced 19 Cangrejeros turnovers. Strangely Cangrejeros outrebounded Indios 37-22 including 25 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international forward Derwin Ramirez (191-82) who scored 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Swingman Emilio Cappare (199-90) chipped in 18 points. At the other side the best for losing team was Salvador Torres (194-96) who recorded 13 points and 9 rebounds and the former international swingman Jorge Rondon (193-90) added 9 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Indios moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Gigantes. Cangrejeros lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. Indios will have a break next round. Cangrejeros will play on the road against Condores (#9) in Margarita and look forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Indios: E.Cappare 18+2reb, J.Mejias 14+1ast, D.Ramirez 11+8reb+6ast, H.Cazorla 9+3reb+6ast, J.Diaz 8+3reb+4ast, L.Rubianes 3+1ast
Cangrejeros: R.Jesus 13+3reb+2ast, S.Torres 13+9reb+1ast, J.Rondon 9+7reb+2ast, A.Acosta 8+1reb+1ast, E.Figueroa 5+3reb+5ast, A.Rodriguez 3



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