Yesterday the villain had enough ten minutes of a good game in the 3rd period Panathinaikos win (89-80) over strong Pigeon and make it 2-1 in the semi-finals of the playoffs basketball league. Clover need a win over Andreas Papandreou next Saturday to reach the final.

The first half was uneventful, the two teams tied 49-49, with a lot of contact and a lot of tension. In the third period, the Greens improved their defense, mainly due to Sylvain Francisco, who was unstoppable in the first half, and scored a ten-point difference (59-49) in the 24th minute. This one even reached +17 (76-59) thanks to three-point accuracy (10/14) and rebounds (24 vs. 13). The difference was reduced to single digits (83-74 in the 36th minute), but the Greens kept the victory.

Grigonis with 20 points (4/6 TPs, 7 PPRs), Ponitka with 16 (1/1 TPs, 7 PPRs, 21 PIRs) and Li with 16 (4/7 TPs, 6 assists) were the leaders for the team of Christos Serelis, while Francisco with 19 points (2/5 triples, 9 assists) and Moraitis with 12 (3/4 triples) from Peristeri. Quarters: 30-24, 49-49, 76-59, 89-80.

Towards the finale, Serelis and Spanoulis argued furiously, and at the end, the “fire” finally went out, and the two technicians shook hands.