Aris not strong enough for PAO
Panathinaikos returned from Thessaloniki with a precious 70-62 win at Aris yesterday to stay on top of the basketball league table along with Olympiakos. The Reds had seen off Kavala 96-60 away on Saturday, while the third team to have held a perfect record after the first two rounds, Trikala, suffered its first loss, going down 70-68 to neighboring Olympia at Larissa. Euroleague-challenger Maroussi had a hard time beating visiting PAOK, which is now guided by the host’s former coach Soulis Markopoulos. Eventually Maroussi won 78-74 in overtime in the weekend’s tightest match. Peristeri upset AEK away to win 88-79, although AEK had its foreign players available for the first time since the problems with its debts were settled. Kolossos scored its second win in three games, downing Panionios 78-68 and confirming its strength at home in Rhodes. Finally, Panellinios dismissed hapless Ilisiakos 90-58 in Kypseli, also for its second win this season.
