Panathinaikos OPAP got the ticket to the final of the Basketball Cup Final Four and now has the opportunity to win the 21st trophy in its history. Dimitris Priftis’ team edged out Prometheus Patras (85-68) in the 1st semi-final of the Final Four after coming back from -14 in the first period. The greens struggled and worried a lot for a period and a half, but as soon as Nemanja Nedovic found a rhythm and scored points, the rhythm and the story of the game changed.

Despite the efforts of Elias Zouros’ players, the river didn’t return in the fourth quarter. As Daryl Makon and as George Papagiannis defended the lead of the shamrock, the win secured qualification for the finals of the tournament.

We remind you that Prometheus Patras started without Jerai Grant and Nikos Gikas, while Panathinaikos OPAP was not in the rotation with Ioannis Papapetrou.

The MVP

Nemanja Nedovic was Panathinaikos OPAP’s top scorer (with 17 points), but those who had the most consistency throughout the forty minutes were the great Dimitris Priftis. A “click” in front of the frontline players was Jeremy Evans who, in 28’20” lying on the ground, managed to give 15 points (with 6/8 shots and 2/2 shots) and 11 rebounds along with several impressive phases on the two racquets.

The weak link

Elias Zouros’ decisions were few (minimal) by definition, which was confirmed in the rotation. The Achaean team basically went with seven players, with Dario Hunt being the one who bid less than expected. After the first ten minutes, Prometheus’ main center couldn’t help, finishing the game with 6 points (with 3/7 two points) and 4 rebounds in the 31’21” that stayed on the ground.

The race

Prometheus was pleasant early in the race. The ball moved fast, the extra passes were ideal and somehow he quickly took the lead. On one side Dimitris Agravanis and on the other Kendrick Ray led Elias Zouros’ team, who did everything right in the first ten minutes. Combined with the fact that Panathinaikos OPAP finished the season 4/16 in kids, that brought +14 (27-13) for Prometheus, who seemed to be overflowing with mood and energy.

The typical home side’s overall dominance continued for another five minutes until the moment when Nemanja Nedovic scored the first shot. The Greens leader had 0/6 in a kid until 14′ (31-20 at this point) before catching fire. what do we mean In the six minutes that followed until the end of the first part, he managed to score 14 points, going from 0/6 to 4/5 shots in a few minutes. Thus, Panathinaikos OPAP found the opportunity (and cause) to consolidate the situation, with the break’s +1 (39-38) leaving unfinished business ahead of the second part.

In the third ten minutes, the pace of the game slowed, mainly as both teams missed. But the biggest problem now was Prometheus. From the moment Abdul Gaddy and Kendrick Ray lost their minds and made difficult decisions, Elias Zourou’s team lost direction, resulting in a total crash.

Okaro White with Jeremy Evans took over for Panathinaikos OPAP, who took the lead early in the season and reached +8 (50-58) in the 30th minute of the semifinals. At the same time, the percentages of typical hosts continued to drop (3/14 three points) and with them the efficiency of rebounds (20 vs. 26).

On the home stretch of the race, nothing could change. On the one hand, because George Papagiannis cleaned everything in the two thugs, on the other hand, because Prometheus had run out of strength and opportunity. The result of this was the +6 (57-63 in 33′) to +17 (62-79 in 38′) for Panathinaikos OPAP, which somewhere ended in victory – qualification for the Final Four of the Greek Cup.

THE REFEREES: Foufis, Papapetrou, Kardaris.

THE TEN MINUTES: 27-13, 39-38, 50-58, 68-85.

PROMITHEAS PATRAS (Zouros): Ray 19 (8/13 two points, 1/5 three points, 5 rebounds), Gaddy 4 (6 assists), Hunt 6 (4 rebounds), Agravanis 14 (1 three points, 9 rebounds), Rogavopoulos 3 (1) , Simpson 11 (1/5 three points), Andrich 9 (1), Bazinas 2, Tanoulis.

PANATHINAIKUS OPAP (Referee): Meikon 12 (2), Papagiannis 12 (6/8 two points, 8 rebounds), Bohoridis 3 (1), Kaselakis (4 assists), White 12 (7 rebounds), Jovic (0/4 three points) , Nedovic 17 (2/5 two points, 2/11 three points, 7/7 shots, 4 steals), Evans 15 (1 three points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists), Mantzoukas 6 (2), Sand Ross 8 (1 ).

Group Statistics – Promitheas Patras: 23/41 two points, 5/19 three points, 7/9 shots, 25 rebounds (19 defensive + 6 offensive), 12 assists, 7 steals, 12 errors, 4 blocks.

Team Stats – Panathinaikos OPAP: 21/37 two points, 9/31 three points, 16/21 shots, 38 rebounds (21 defensive + 17 offensive), 18 assists, 10 steals, 11 errors, 7 blocks.