PAOK cruise past Kymis to keep Greek Cup dream alive
 

GREEK BASKETBALL CUP - SEMI FINALS

PAOK are back in the Greek Cup Final after a 20-year hiatus following a convincing 72-61 win over Kymis on Wednesday…

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PAOK will seek to claim their first Greek Cup in 20 years after the Thessaloniki outfit clinched a berth in Sunday’s Final in Heraklion with a 72-61 win over Kymis at the Tassos Kambouris Indoor Hall in Chalkida on Wednesday night.

Antonis Koniaris and William Hatcher notched 13 points apiece and Milenko Tepic had a near double-double (11 points, 9 rebounds) as PAOK kept their Greek Cup hopes alive.

Kymis, who were hoping to continue their fairytale run into Sunday’s Final, were led by Scott Suggs’ 18-point performance while JeQuan Lewis added 17 points in the defeat.

PAOK set the pace early with a 28-13 run in the first quarter as Kymis struggled to keep-up with PAOK’s high-tempo office in the opening frame.

PAOK maintained their double-digit lead by halftime despite a slight improvement from Kymis, though the home side likely didn’t fancy their chances facing a 44-30 deficit.

To their credit, Kymis continued to cut into PAOK’s lead in the second half but the home side failed to make the strides necessary to atone for their sluggish start.

Despite added pressure from Kymis in the final frame, PAOK maintained their double-digit advantage in the final frame as Kymis were left to rue their slow start at the final buzzer.

PAOK, whose last trip to the Final of the Greek Cup during the 1998/1999 season ended in glory with a win over AEK, will hope to add to their tally of three Greek Cup titles on Sunday.

Kymis, meanwhile, will have an extra-long wait before they can begin to forget about their semifinal loss as the Euboean side don’t return to action until after the upcoming international break when they visit Peristeri on 2 March.

by Peter Katsiris

Image Source: SDNA.gr

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