When they have had it worst all season, last two days from the end, Urbas Fuenlabrada got a victory (88-65) against Río Breogán that clings to the Endesa Leagueand summons him to a final in Burgos on the last day, while the team from Lugo says goodbye to the playoff.
With a uniform defensive effort, the success of three points that had been lacking lately (13 of 34, 38%) and the suffocating support of 4,702 spectators despite being 7:00 p.m. on a working TuesdayFuenlabrada took the eleventh victory, vital in a fight to escape relegation that will be decided on the last date.
American Kwan Cheatham (13 points and 11 rebounds), with moments from his compatriot Lamar Peters (11 points) and Nigerian Obi Emegano (13) led a team under the watchful eye of Croatian Marko Popovicwatchword of the club for four seasons who was in the stands to support his team in an afternoon of difficult ballot, to which Another ex also attended, the Slovenian Luka Rupnik, now in Turkish basketball.
Everything seemed to add up in an afternoon that was not easy for the locals. Emegano hit the first triple, but everything else was inaccuracies of an accelerated ‘Fuenla’, although well planted in defense against the success of Breogán, who scored 50% from 6.75 meters in the first set, led by the American Tyler Kalinoski, the Galician team’s top scorer with 14 points.
In fits and starts alwaysbecause if Kyle Alexander blocked Rasid Mahalbasic and then scored a one-handed mate in the quick transition, with just one second, Breoganist forward Iván Cruz equalized at the end of the first quarter (21-21).
The local team had to do something else to stay alive. He went up a point in defense, infected by the dynamism of Peters and to that was added the triples of Jovan Novak, Leo Meindl and Peters himself (32-25, min. 14). Nothing was coming to Breogán (only a basket of six and a triple of six in the second quarter), and the locals took the opportunity to take off at halftime (42-30).
The success from the perimeter continued to accompany the locals around the locker room: Ziga Samar first, Cheatham later, and several hits by Dusan Ristic in the paint forced visiting coach Veljko Mrsic to stop the match (52-38, min. 23).
It couldn’t have been worse for the Croatian coach, because his team ran out of ideas in attack and even less in defense to concede a 9-2 score in three minutes that the local fans celebrated as they watched the victory draw closer (61-41, min. 27) . What remained of the third quarter was practically from Fuenlabrada showtime for a closing 66-47.
Everything was done. The locals even went as far as 25 points with a triple by Obi Emegano (74-49, min. 33), while Breogán was already assuming that his dream of the ‘playoff’ was coming to an end. There was time for the vindication of Christian Eyenga, lately in the background and who scored 5 points and 6 rebounds this Tuesday, and for secondaries such as Chema González and Álex López. Fuenlabrada’s gaze is already in Burgos. Salvation will be played there this Saturday.
