LARNACA (Cypriot Basketball League) - After dominating Cypriot basketball for the past two seasons, Petrolina AEK Larnaca were denied a three-peat in the Cypriot Basketball League, as their title defense crumbled under the pressure of Keravnos in the Finals.

The Linos Gavriel-coached Larnaca side, who represented the island in the FIBA Europe Cup, were handed the final blow at the Kithion Athletic Center on Friday, as their opponents triumphed 56-55 in Game 4 for a 3-1 victory in the best-of-five series.

Having started the Finals with a one-point loss on the road, AEK tied things up in Game 2 before going on to lose the next two encounters against Keravnos, who celebrated their sixth Division A title conquest.

AEK guard Torey Thomas had a chance to extend the series right at the death of the the last game, but his buzzer-beating attempt clanged off the rim to the great disappointment of the home fans. 

Jake O'Brien led the winners with 13 points, while Mohamed Abukar chipped in with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Primoz Brezec had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks for AEK.

The team from Larnaca had to do without without the injured Montenegrin forward Vladimir Dasic, who suffered a serious knee injury just before the Finals.

Keravnos hadn't won the domestic championship since the 2007-2008 season, but were the odds-on favorites to lift the trophy heading into the Play-Offs after securing the top spot in the Regular Season with an impressive 18-2 record.

The eventual champions swept Enosis 3-0 in the Semi-Finals, while AEK qualified for the Finals by registering a 3-1 series win against fellow FIBA Europe Cup club APOEL Nicosia on the other side of the bracket.

In spite of losing the domestic league title and not making it out of the Regular Season group in Europe, AEK salvaged the season by adding the club's first Cypriot Basketball Cup earlier in the season.

FIBA