LSBL Semifinals 1/2008 - SK Cēsis 102, TTT Rīga Juniors 74

With only eight teams in the Latvian league, the Latvians go right to the semifinals during playoff season. The first game of a best-of-three series put SK Cēsis against the TTT Rīga Juniors teams - the Juniors are the kids who will sooner or later play for TTT Rīga, which is the #1 team in Latvia. (How tough do you have to be before you let your minor league team compete in the majors?) SK Cēsis reminded the Juniors that they were the juniors with a 102-74 win.

The box score is here.

The press from Latvia all agree that the final score is misleading, and you can tell just be looking at the quarter-by-quarter score. Both teams were tied after 10 minutes, 22-22, and by halftime, SK Cēsis only led by seven points, taking a 45-38 score into the break. After three quarters SK Cēsis was able to extend the lead to 69-60, but in the fourth quarter the TTT Rīga Juniors were held to just 14 points where SK Cēsis scored 33.

SK Cēsis hit 43 percent of its shots compared to 42 percent from the TTT Rīga Juniors. However, the TTT Rīga Juniors were just 5-for-23 from 3-point range and only attempted 61 shots compared to 82 shots attempted by SK Cēsis. SK Cēsis outrebounded the Juniors 48-35 and the TTT Rīga Juniors turned the ball over 21 times. SK Cēsis was sent to the free throw line 28 times where they hit 75 percent of their shots.

SK Cēsis

Sandra Dijon: 18 points and 9 rebounds on 8-for-9 shooting.
Tamera Young: 17 points and 8 rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting. Tamera, unfortunately, fouled out after 24 minutes.
Kristen Mann: Zero points in four minutes of play.

TTT Rīga Juniors

Anete Šteinberga: 34 points and 16 rebounds. It could have been a lot worse for the TTT Rīga Juniors if she hadn't been there.
Ieva Jansone: 18 points and 6 rebounds.

Hoping to have pictures from this game soon. By the way, TTT Rīga beat Liepāja Metalurgs in the first game of their best of three series. The next game for both SK Cēsis and the TTT Rīga Juniors is on Tuesday in Rīga.