Aris managed to win Kolossos Rodou by 51-47 (half-time score: 24-30) and overcome a bad performance, in the game which was held in Alexandrio Melathro for Match Day 9 of the Hellenic Championships 2009-2010. The “yellows”, which had to play without injured Kakiouzis and Barlos, faced quite a few problems, but they finally got the victory, in their last game in 2009.
Aris started with a three-pointer by Richardson (who had only 1/9 three-point shots overall), but the lack of concentration and the missed shots brought Kolossos into the lead 2:30 after the beginning. Thanks to a 0-6 run, the team from the isle of Rhodes built a notable difference (8-14) and at 1:05 before the conclusion they made it 10-17, with a goal - foul by Pappas. Although the local team tried to cut down the difference, Asimakopoulos scored from behind the arc in the last gasp of the period, which ended 14-20.
The second quarter began even worse for Fotis Katsikaris’s team, which missed too many open shots. Their first points in this period were scored well after 6 minutes of play and by then Kolossos was leading by no less than 13 points (14-27). Nevertheless, Aris reacted well and trimmed the difference down to 6 points by half-time (24-30), despite their too low scoring percentage (4/13 two-pointers, 3/13 three-pointers).
With a great help from the fans, who never stopped singing and cheering for the team, the “yellows” made a magnificent start in the second half. They ran a 9-0 streak and regained the lead for the first time since the initial 3-0 (33-32, with 6:28 remaining for the end of the third quarter). However, the visitors didn’t lose their faith and they were up by 1 (39-40) in the end of the period, thanks to a three-point shot by Zaras.
Aris stroke back in the last quarter, with another 9-0 run, which wasn’t easy at all. Two three-pointers by Keydren Clark and a goal - foul scored by Chatzivrettas in between, gave Aris a 5-point lead (48-43, with 3:50 left) for the first time. Kolossos, who hadn’t scored any from 31’ to 37’, came close once again, thanks to 4/4 free throws (48-47), but Tsamis failed to give his team the lead 28’’ before the end. Clark, on the other hand, made no mistake from the free throw line and secured Aris’s victory by 51-47, as the visitors missed all their shots in the last seconds.
Referees:Anastopoulos (Athens), Karakatsounis (Volos), Koukoulitsios (Larissa).
Periods: 14-20, 24-30 (half-time), 39-40, 51-47.
ARIS (Fotis Katsikaris): Clark 12 (2), Argyropoulos 1, Betts 4, Richardson 7 (1), Chatzivrettas 8 (1), Dikoudis 9 (1), Skordilis 3, Dixon 1, Miles 6 (1).
KOLOSSOSRODOU (Giannis Sferopoulos): Harris 4, Panteliadis, Vasiljevic 4, Zaras 6 (1), Asimakopoulos 9 (2), Dozier 8, Harissis 1, Tsamis 4, Pappas 7, Monds 4.
