Grecia 79 Escazu 86

Even tough we had swept the Apertura against Grecia, the scores didn't reflect the adversity of the struggle. In the first game our guard-depleted lineup was able to stay off a furious Grecia rally to come out with a win. The final score of the second game gave us a comfortable twenty point margin that didnt reflect the close contest in the first three quarters. So when I saw the schedule with Grecia as our first game, I knew we were in for a challenge right off the bat.

Grecia won only a couple games in Apertura, yet they were virtually in every game. Their star player is Panamanian Amir Alvarado, a mainstay of Costa Rican basketball over the years. Amir can go inside against smaller defenders or gou outside and stick jumpers against slower defenders. In Apertura he was Grecia's primary weapon, which made for easier game plans: stop Amir and you should win the game. In the offseason, Grecia brought in American wing Sahlih Butts (that's the spelling on the score sheet) to add some firpower opposite Amir. We got a look at Butts in the Grecia offseason tournament where he showed a good mix of athleticism and range on his outside jumper. That will be a dangerous duo for teams to handle on the offensive end of what is a very skilled squad in execution.

Sahlin Butts making his Costa Rican First Division debut.

The first twenty minutes saw some uninspired basketball on our part. Careless turnovers, poor shot selection and lackadaisical defense. Grecia for its part came in and capitalized on our low energy, with post man Andres Umaña showing a fedt touch early on. Javier Bustamante kept us in the game with timely three pointers and hustle plays, allowing us a very deceiving six point deficit.

Amir got hot in the third quarter, sticking some midrange jumpers, helping stretch out the Grecia's lead to ten points. Sebastian Lacayo and Dario Fraile came off the bench to give us some better defensive energy, allowing us to start chipping away the lead as the Grecia guys started wearing down. Then the lights went out in the gym (which is not uncommon in our league). After a fifteen minute delay, we got back to playing ball. Isaac St Rose found his groove on offense and started making some shots, which seemed to get the ball rolling with everyone else. Suddenly we surged past Grecia with about five minutes to go. Dave Millinier made a basket off a set pay to cement the lead with a minute to go.





Game Notes

• Amir Alvarado finished with 37 points. He was blazing from the outside, making five three pointers. When he's hitting that outside shot, he becomes that much more dangerous because as you start creeping up on him, he can start cutting to the basket. Butts scored 16 points in his official debut.
• Even though we added new players to the mix, we maintained one of my prevailing philosophies: a balanced attack. Six guys scored in double figures with Dave Millinier, Isaac St Rose and Javier Bustamante tied for the lead with 15 points apiece. In Apertura we had six different guys lead in game scoring in only twelve games. 
• Jeff Dixon decided to leave for Grecia days before the season started. Though he didnt play in the first game, he should be a big help for them in this tournament.