SPB Round 19 of Regular Season

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. Coincidentally all visitors won their games. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most shocking disappointment of round 19 was a home defeat of 4th placed Trotamundos (7-4) to fifth ranked Cocodrilos (8-3) 79-72. It ended the five-game winning streak of Trotamundos. It was a key game for the second position in the league. 25 personal fouls committed by Trotamundos helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a great evening for Dominican Diego Colon (188-2001) who led his team to a victory scoring 26 points and 4 assists. Dominican Luis Montero (203-1993, college: South Plains) helped adding 16 points and 13 rebounds. Cocodrilos' coach Alfredo Madrid used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side American Ricky Ledo (201-1992, college: Providence) responded with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Cocodrilos moved-up to second place, which they share with Spartans. Trotamundos at the other side dropped to the sixth position with four games lost. Cocodrilos will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Trotamundos will play at home against the league's second-placed Spartans (#2) and are hoping to win this game.
Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Caracas: Spartans (#4) and Pioneros (#7). Pioneros were defeated at home 75-84 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. It was an exceptional evening for American forward Michael Watkins (206-1995, college: Penn State) who led the winners and scored 24 points and 8 rebounds. Richard Bautista accounted for 12 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists. American guard Brevin Galloway (188-1997, college: Clemson, agency: BIG) came up with 26 points for Pioneros in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Spartans have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Cocodrilos. Pioneros at the other side keep the seventh position with five games lost. Spartans will play against Trotamundos (#6) in La Asuncion in the next round. Pioneros' supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Caracas Diablos.
SPB top team - Gaiteros (9-0) added another victory to their record on Wednesday. This time they beat ninth ranked Diablos (3-7) in Caracas 112-107. Nahziah Carter fired 33 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Nicolas Palma produced a double-double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds (on 10-of-11 shooting from the field) for lost side. Diablos' coach Manuel Echezuria tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Undefeated Gaiteros have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 9-0 record. Loser Diablos keep the ninth position with seven games lost. Gaiteros will meet Brillantes (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Diablos' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Caracas to the arena Pioneros.

In the last two games of round 19 Guaiqueries won against Heroes on the opponent's court 77-67. Bottom-ranked Panteras unfortunately lost to Piratas in a home game 86-99.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists by Jordan Hamilton of Piratas.



Heroes - Guaiqueries 67-77

Very expected game in Caracas where 10th ranked Heroes (3-8) were defeated by sixth ranked Guaiqueries (7-3) 77-67 on Wednesday. Guaiqueries made 24-of-29 free shots (82.8 percent) during the game. They also forced 20 Heroes turnovers. Dominican Juan Guerrero (203-1993) fired 21 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Dominican point guard Gelvis Solano (185-1994, college: Merrimack) chipped in 15 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Gregory Curvelo (195-1990) produced 11 points and 6 rebounds and Colombian forward Romario Roque (180-1998) added 10 points and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. Guaiqueries moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Marinos. Loser Heroes keep the tenth position with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Heroes: D.Nesbitt 12+2reb, M.Jackson 11+3reb+2ast, G.Curvelo 11+6reb+2ast, R.Roque 10+3reb+4ast, G.Jose 6+5reb+1ast, J.Jitoboh 6+8reb
Guaiqueries: G.Juan 21+8reb+1ast, S.Gelvis 15+6reb+8ast, C.Pedro 11+4reb+2ast, M.Tavario 10+4reb, E.Montano 8+2reb+1ast, W.Tyrone 7+2reb

Diablos - Gaiteros 107-112

SPB top team - Gaiteros (9-0) added another victory to their record on Wednesday. This time they beat ninth ranked Diablos (3-7) in Caracas 112-107. Gaiteros made 26-of-33 free shots (78.8 percent) during the game. It was a great shooting night for Gaiteros especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 55.6 percentage. American guard Nahziah Carter (198-1999, college: Washington) fired 33 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Colombian-Dominican point guard Jesse Zarzuela (188, college: Oregon) chipped in 27 points and 7 assists. Nicolas Palma (197-2004) produced a double-double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds (on 10-of-11 shooting from the field) and guard Edry Gonzalez (185-1998) added 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals respectively for lost side. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Diablos' coach Manuel Echezuria tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Gaiteros have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 9-0 record. Loser Diablos keep the ninth position with seven games lost. Gaiteros will meet Brillantes (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Diablos' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Caracas to the arena Pioneros.
Top scorers:
Diablos: P.Nicolas 25+10reb+1ast, D.Graham 22+6reb+2ast, E.Gonzalez 21+5reb+6ast, D.ArMond 18+7reb+2ast, B.Miguel 11+4reb+4ast, C.Cameron 5+1reb+1ast
Gaiteros: C.Nahziah 33+8reb+4ast, Z.Jesse 27+2reb+7ast, A.Nation 13+6reb+2ast, M.Jesus 12+15reb+1ast, A.Albert 12+2reb, S.Miguel 6+4reb+1ast

Trotamundos - Cocodrilos 72-79

The most shocking disappointment of round 19 was a home defeat of 4th placed Trotamundos (7-4) to fifth ranked Cocodrilos (8-3) 79-72. It ended the five-game winning streak of Trotamundos. It was a key game for the second position in the league. 25 personal fouls committed by Trotamundos helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a great evening for Dominican Diego Colon (188-2001) who led his team to a victory scoring 26 points and 4 assists. Dominican Luis Montero (203-1993, college: South Plains) helped adding 16 points and 13 rebounds. Cocodrilos' coach Alfredo Madrid used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side American Ricky Ledo (201-1992, college: Providence) responded with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists and Panamanian power forward Eric Romero (210-1999) scored 22 points and 6 rebounds. Cocodrilos moved-up to second place, which they share with Spartans. Trotamundos at the other side dropped to the sixth position with four games lost. Cocodrilos will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Trotamundos will play at home against the league's second-placed Spartans (#2) and are hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Trotamundos: E.Romero 22+6reb+1ast, R.Ledo 20+8reb+4ast, J.Reese V 8+2reb+2ast, Z.Jhornan 7+3reb+1ast, D.Sulbaran 5+1ast, D.Kennedy 4+7reb+2ast
Cocodrilos: C.Diego 26+2reb+4ast, M.JD 16+10reb, M.Luis 16+13reb+2ast, B.Luis 9+12reb+4ast, J.Gomez 4+2reb, R.Raymond 3+1reb+1ast

Pioneros - Spartans 75-84

Another exciting game was a derby match between two teams from Caracas: Spartans (#4) and Pioneros (#7). Pioneros were defeated at home 75-84 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. Spartans dominated down low during the game scoring 48 of its points in the paint compared to Pioneros' 26. Spartans forced 22 Pioneros turnovers. It was an exceptional evening for American forward Michael Watkins (206-1995, college: Penn State) who led the winners and scored 24 points and 8 rebounds. Dominican point guard Richard Bautista (185-1997) accounted for 12 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists for the winning side. Five Spartans players scored in double figures. American guard Brevin Galloway (188-1997, college: Clemson, agency: BIG) came up with 26 points and the former international point guard Heissler Guillent (186-1986) added 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for Pioneros in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Spartans have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Cocodrilos. Pioneros at the other side keep the seventh position with five games lost. Spartans will play against Trotamundos (#6) in La Asuncion in the next round. Pioneros' supporters look forward to another derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Caracas Diablos.
Top scorers:
Pioneros: B.Galloway 26+4reb+1ast, H.Guillent 17+5reb+5ast, D.Summers 12+5reb, K.Kramer 6+10reb+2ast, E.Martinez 5+7reb+1ast, S.Johendrys 5+1ast
Spartans: W.Michael 24+8reb+1ast, C.Michael 16+6reb+1ast, H.Adonys 14+3reb+2ast, B.Richard 12+6reb+10ast, S.Jose 10+2reb, P.Nelson 3+1reb+1ast

Panteras - Piratas 86-99

Rather predictable result in Caracas where eleventh ranked Piratas (3-9) defeated bottom-ranked Panteras (1-10) 99-86 on Thursday. Dominican Yeison Colome (190-1996) fired 35 points (!!!) and 4 assists for the winners. American forward Jordan Hamilton (201-1990, college: Texas) chipped in 24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Guard Wilkerman Gomez (190-2001) produced 26 points and 7 rebounds and American guard Davonte Davis (190-2001, college: OK State) added 22 points and 6 rebounds (made all of his eight free throws) respectively for lost side. Four Panteras players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players saving starting five for next games. Piratas maintains eleventh place with 3-9 record. Panteras lost their seventh game in a row. They stay at the bottom position with ten games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Panteras: W.Gomez 26+7reb+1ast, D.Davonte 22+6reb+2ast, K.Solomon 15+3ast, A.Indriago 10+3reb, A.Jhonatan 4+11reb+1ast, L.Carrillo 4+7reb+1ast
Piratas: C.Yeison 35+4reb+4ast, H.Jordan 24+9reb+4ast, E.James 18+8reb+1ast, T.Austin 9+8reb+2ast, B.Humberto 6+3reb+2ast, C.Jesus 5+3reb+1ast