Barons/LMT introduced Joao Paulo Batista by wrecking Lacplesa Alus 97:75. The Brazilian giant added 20 for his new team.

There were few doubts about what the most interesting spectacle in the Saturday’s contest was going to be. Vladimir Stimac, the master of the SEB BBL battlefield and the best big guy on the glass in the league, was faced by Joao Paulo Batista, recent acquisition of the Barons/LMT franchise and a huge force for Lietuvos Rytas in the Euroleague not so long time ago. Even if Barons/LMT could brag with better, more experienced players in other key positions, the real decision-making was expected in the post.

Cavars unwrapped the paper with a quick three-pointer for the hosts Lacplesa Alus. He, Nash and Stimac carried their squad in this part of the game. With some lively signs from Alexander and Adomaitis for the opposite side, the rivals matched up equally after 6 minutes in the game (10:10). Showing that the view of experts is sometimes just wishful thinking, Lacplesa Alus were proud to keep along and not let the guests do too irreversible harm in the first quarter. 17:19 for Barons/LMT.

It was tough for the hosts and Mr. Stimac in the second quarter. Barons/LMT successfully combined their inside and outside effort to make some painful blows to their opponents. After Kravcenko drilled a long-range bomb, the situation started to look really ugly for the locals 26:38. Even though Cavars and Stimac had some good team-effort at both ends of the court, the situation stayed roughly the same at the big break 30:46.

Alexander was keen to continue his team’s success. He and his teammates obviously showed better effort than Lacplesa Alus who seemed broken down and futilely depended on Stimac’s individual contribution or some gambling from behind the arc. Combined with their inability to stop Batista, a formidable enemy in the paint, the hosts were not in a position to stop the difference in the score from increasing 47:61. This lack of organizational coherence and flare in the eyes of the contenders was particularly evident in the last quarter. Albeit Barons/LMT allowed their entire roster to contribute, hosts still were not capable of endangering the difference on the scoreboard. The final score 75:97 in Barons/LMT favour.

Top Scorers: Vladimir Stimac (18), Joao Paulo Batista (20)

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Teams: Valmiera
Teams: Barons/LMT
Games: 2008-02-16 Valmiera - Barons/LMT