SAMOKOV (Bulgaria) - The Basketball Champions League Qualification Round Tournament 1, also known as the Champions Path, is down to just two teams.
Patrioti Levice and Bakken Bears Aarhus are set to battle for a spot in the Regular Season Group F, where AEK BC, VEF Riga and NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz await.
Kalev/Cramo 69-81 Patrioti Levice
Slovakia could become the 30th country to reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season, as their champions Patrioti Levice made it to the Final of the tournament in Bulgaria.
With a lot of good vibes coming from their traveling fans in the stands, Patrioti took the lead early on and stayed in front of the Estonian champs Kalev/Cramo the rest of the way.
When Kalev made it back to -5 in the fourth quarter, looking to make it interesting, Patrioti responded with three straight triples to put this one out of their opponent's reach.
We have seen some impressive Qualifiers performances over the years, but Andre Wesson Jr played arguably the best QRT game ever: 24 points, 14 rebounds, 6 steals, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, an efficiency rating of 39 and a +17 with him on the floor.
Akol Mawein dominated inside with 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting, Will Carius had 13, Novak Music 11, while Rickey McGill finished with 10, including a circus shot that put the game to bed.
Severi Kaukiainen signed out with 14 points and 8 assists for the Estonian club.
Bakken Bears Aarhus 82-77 Heroes Den Bosch
The Bears had already played a thriller of a game against Kutaisi 2010 in the Quarter-Finals, and the Semi-Finals encounter with the Heroes was even more exciting.
In a game with 13 lead changes, it was their defense that got the job done. Bakken Bears Aarhus took the lead with Sylvester Pedersen's tough layup in traffic with just over a minute on the game clock.
They then forced a pair of Heroes Den Bosch turnovers, and the lead climbed to 80-77 as Tymu Chenery made a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left to play.
Keevan Veinot went for the tie, but his three-pointer rimmed out, allowing Jordan Ogundiran to seal the deal from the free throw line.
Chenery had 21 points, Pedersen scored 15 of his 20 in the first half alone, Duke Dean and Ogundiran had 11 each, while Darko Jukic scored 10 for coach Skyler Bowlin.
Veinot's 21 were not enough for Den Bosch, they could not become the first Dutch team to reach the Regular Season. They committed 19 turnovers in this one, a massive amount compared to Bakken's 9, creating a 25-9 margin in points from turnovers and 19-4 in fast break points.