The second round of the first phase of the ECOMMBX Basket League kicked off with a thrilling matchup.
At the Pallouriotissa High School gym, Apollon defeated Achilleas 90–88 in overtime, after the two teams were tied at 79-79.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Futsal Championship: “Seven-point leads” for Omonia and Apollon
At the 20-minute mark, Achilles led 51–38, and by the 31-minute mark, they had built a 16-point lead.
The standout player of the game was Stefanos Iliadis, who scored 27 points and was rated at 31 points.
After Achilles’ initial 4-0 lead, Apollon took the lead 7-5.
Overall, it was a first quarter characterized by a fast pace and significant back-and-forth action.
At the 7-minute mark, the home team led by 5 points, with the score at 17-12, but in the closing moments, Apollon was more accurate, and so at the 10-minute mark, they took a 24-21 lead.
Thanks to the efforts of young Konstantinos, Achilles went on an 8-0 run to take the lead at 29-24.
Achilles then extended its run to 16-3, taking a 37-27 lead at the 14-minute mark.
In the minutes that followed, Achilles (who was clearly the better team throughout the second quarter) maintained a steady lead of around +10, and thus, at halftime, they led 51-38.
The lead grew to +14 (52-38) for the home team early in the third quarter.
Achilles then maintained a steady lead, while Apollon struggled to respond, particularly as they faced difficulties against their opponents’ well-organized defense.
With Ayo providing most of the solutions for the home team, the lead grew again to +14 (63-49), even though Apollon had earlier cut the deficit to -8 (57-49), and at the 30-minute mark, Achilles led 67-55.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Achilles led 71-55.
Apollon then managed to mount a comeback, largely thanks to Iliadis’s productivity, steadily closing the gap; shortly after the 37-minute mark, the deficit was down to 5 points (75–70), and at 38:32, the deficit fell to three points (79–76).
At 39:04, Apollon tied the score at 79-79, and the game ended with that score at the 40-minute mark, meaning the winner would be decided in overtime.
Early in overtime, Apollon took an 82–80 lead, but Achilles soon regained the lead at 84–83.
At 44:03, Achilles (a three-pointer by Karabatakis) took the lead 87–85, and immediately afterward, Apollon regained the lead (88–87 on a three-pointer by Iliadis).
With a free throw by Bayless, Achilles tied the score at 88-88 at 44:44, and at 44:58, Apollon secured the victory with free throws by Bostick, 90-88.
Quarter scores: 21-24, 51-38, 67-55, 79-79. Overtime: 88-90.
Achilles (Euripides Andreou): Forest 13 (2), Everett 14 (1), Bayless 18 (2), Ayo 20 (1), Konstantinou 14 (2), Milinkovic, Karabatakis 3 (1), Thomas 5, Georgiadis 1.
Domus Apollon (Dimitris Koukouris): Watson 17 (2), Bostick 2 (2), Douglas 4 (1), Iliadis 27 (5), Johnson 8 (2), Mastoris, Solomou, Koutouris, Jones 8.
Here is the detailed schedule for Matchday 2:
Friday, October 16
- Achilleas Kaimakliou – DOMUS Apollon Limassol 88–90
Saturday, October 17
- 6:30 p.m. | TRIA EKA AEL BC – Fabbrica E.N. Paralimni (Nikos Solomonides Hall)
Sunday, October 18
- 4:00 p.m. | Petrolina AEK – APOEL (Kition Sports Center)
- 5:00 p.m. | Keravnos Strovolos – ACRO4U Digenis Akritas Morphou (“Kostas Papaellinas” Hall)
Monday, October 19
- 7:00 p.m. | Anorthosis Famagusta – ETHA Engomi (Hall B of the Limassol Technical School)
