The Leones de Santo Domingo were crowned for the fourth time and the second in a row by defeating the Indios de San Francisco de Macorís 89-84 in the seventh and decisive game of the final series of the National Basketball League (LNB) held this Friday at the Mario Ortega roof here.
The “Melenudos” staged a spectacular comeback after losing the first half by 13 points and at the beginning of the last period they were down by 10 points.
With the crown, the “Reds” reissued the title of champions who won last year 4-2 to the Titans. They had already been crowned LNB monarchs in the 2011 and 2016 editions. The Lions became the second team to win consecutive LNB crowns, along with the Metros, who did so in 2006 and 2007.
The game changed in the final seconds with the effective defense of the Lions, which considerably diminished the offense of the Indians. Juan Guerrero and Eulis Báez were in charge of giving the lead in the last 57 seconds when the match was 84-84.
The Lions won the third quarter 24-21 and the last period 25-10 to win. They lost the first 24-22 and the second 29-18.
Juan Guerrero, Most Valuable Player
Veteran Juan Guerrero, who played an important role in the last seconds, was awarded as the Most Valuable Player of the Final Series. Guerrero finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
In addition to Guerrero, Eulis Báez also stood out, with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Eddy Polanco had 15 points and New Williams had 11 points.
Guerrero was also awarded last year as Most Valuable Player in the final that the Lions
“I feel good about being crowned champion again,” said Guerrero.
For the Indians, Juan Miguel Suero scored 27 points with 13 rebounds and five assists, PeShon Howard finished with 14, Jerome Frink scored 18, Nehemías Morillo had 15, and Adonis Henríquez eight and 11 rebounds.
Pedro Mir, president LNB
The president of the National Basketball League considered that basketball fans enjoyed a great competitive tournament and that this was what had been proposed.
“It has been a great tournament, with a great competitive level”, exclaimed Mir, who also recognized the work of veteran Eulis Báez in the league, as well as each of the participating teams.
FIRST HALF
The Indians dominated the first half with 13 points (53-40), with a well-closed first quarter that favored them 24-22, but in the second quarter several protagonists came out for the homeowners and the defense silenced the offensive of the “ Reds”.
In the first three minutes of the second half, the Indians posted a 9-2 run to make the game 33-24, an advantage that they extended to 16 points.
Jerome Frink appeared in the first half, with three three-point shots, and then Nehemías Morillo took center stage, with a couple of shots from behind the arc, PeShon Howard also did his thing with two shots from three, and in the final minutes of the second period, Juan Miguel Suero put on a show with various penetrations.
The Indians shot in this part of the game for 51 percent from the field (18-35) against 50 percent of the “Hairy” (16-32). The homeowners spread the ball better with 12-3 assists, and dominated rebounding 21-15, as well as 13-4 on second chances.