The Leones de Santo Domingo were left alone in the first position by defeating the Reales de La Vega 83-64 in a match of the National Basketball League (LNB) held this Friday at the Mauricio Báez Club in Villa Juana.
The “Melenudos” placed their record at 7-4 and won the particular series against the “vegans”, who after the setback put their mark at 5-6. The first match between both teams favored the “Reds” 83-81.
The Lions, who relied on an efficient defensive and offensive game, have beaten the Royals six times in a row, who last beat the Hairy Men on September 11, 2019 with a score of 81-78 in the Media Naranja.
Juan Guerrero, with 23 points, 21 rebounds and five assists, led the attack of the Lions, who also had the work of Eddy Polanco, with 23 points and seven assists, Kelechi Ajukwa finished with 11 and Steven Burtt, with 11 units.
“Every game I go out on the field to work hard to get the victory. Facing strong players like Delgado motivates me much more”, added Juan Guerrero after the game, while manager Ruddy Martínez pointed out: “We were able to do a great job defensively for the victory. Now it remains to continue improving, working day by day to stay where we are”.
For the Royals, Ángel Delgado scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, while Antonio Peña contributed 19 points.
The periods ended 24-13, 18-17, 17-20 and 24-14 in favor of the Lions.
The Royals were 1-for-27 from 3-point range for 3 percent; while the Lions went 13-32 (40 percent) and dominated rebounding 45-42, as well as assists 24-14.
The defensive and offensive performances in the first quarter were key for the Lions to go into the break with a 12-point lead (42-30). The initial period was 24-13, with 13 points from Eddy Polanco, while the second ended 18-17 in favor of the “Reds”.
While the leader of the Melenudos highlighted the defensive part of the first two quarters, the Royals’ foreman, Carlos Medina, attributed bad decisions, mainly from the three-point arc, that allowed them to fall below 12 points.
The Royals shot 5 percent from three (1-18), and the Lions 42 percent, 7-18, including four from Polanco.
games this saturday
The Marineros de Puerto Plata will receive the Cañeros del Este at Fabio Rafael González at 7:00 p.m., while at 8:00 the Metros de Santiago will play against the Reales de La Vega at the Fernando Teruel.
