Escazu 80 Grecia 76

For reasons I still don't comprehend, we ended up with a two week break right in the middle of our season. Actually, I do comprehend; the decision making in this league is terrible. Liceo de Costa Rica dropped out on the eve of opening night for the Torneo de Clausura and the powers that be refused to adjust the calendar accordingly; as things stood, we would have two teams being idle on any particular game night. Some teams didn't want to give up weekend games and the "juicy" gate receipts from those games; they made it sound like this is the NBA where we're raking in the millions. So here we are with only six teams and a calendar that doesn't make sense. Costa Rican basketball in a nutshell.

Sebastian Lacayo clogging the lane

After a two week hiatus, we were on the road again against Grecia. The first game was a tight affair in which we managed a small comeback win and somehow survive Amir Alvarado's 39 points. Since then, we've been able to post three more wins and one loss, but the break killed our momentum.

The game started up and down as neither team could hold a sustained lead. We would go up by five, they would go up by four. It was a seesaw affair all through the first half. Grecia rolls out a big starting lineup, which makes them susceptible to foul trouble when they have to go to smaller lineups. We struggled to score in the second quarter; our bench guys came in but couldn't quite hit their shots.
The game tempo picked up in the third quarter as both teams started running the break and playing some helter skelter defense. Neither team could grab control of the game. With about seven minutes to go in the last quarter, Grecia got lose on two fast breaks and built a seven point lead as the crowd cheered the home team on. That lead was short lived as Ike St. Rose and Alonso Sanchez hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead to 1. We turned up the heat on defense and were able to go up by six points as St. Rose got hot in the final quarter to seal the victory.

Butts vs St Rose

Game Notes

• St. Rose led the scoring with 26 points while Michael Jackson scored 25 and David Carnegie chipped in 14 points. Sahlih Butts scored 16 for Grecia, while Amir Alvarado score 14. 
• Three of the four games against Grecia have been close going into the last two minutes. This is Grecia's first year back in First Division after winning a title in the 90s. Looks like they are headed in the right direction.

Ike on fire.