The Lenovo Tenerife wants to continue making history

Joy changed sides so many times in the final minutes of Joventut-Lenovo Tenerife that until literally the last moment neither of the two hobbies was victorious. A penetration by Parra that could have ecstatic the green and black, a stopper by Abromaitis that unleashed the euphoria of the canaries. This is how a competitive, hard, rough match ended and until a rough point in which the triples reigned. Between them they shot 65 and the two teams tried it more times than three than two. Joel Parra, the undisputed leader of the green and blacks, always kept his team in the match with a great performance in a leaden game. The role, in Tenerife, was much more distributed. Among the regulars, yes, like Marcelinho, Shermadini, Salin or Jaime Fernández. Little mattered. The final, the first in its history in a national competition, is for Tenerife.

The historic opportunity presented to Joventut and Lenovo Tenerife was one of those that cannot be missed. A Cup final without Barça or Real Madrid is not a minor prize and everyone in the pavilion knew it. Also Joel Parra, who embodies the values ​​and idiosyncrasies of the green and black like no other. His team leaned on him to get the first advantage (12-11) with the invaluable collaboration of Kyle Guy (two triples).

Lenovo Tenerife, for its part, had little more to do than repeat the quarterfinal match. If they were just as successful, victory would almost certainly be theirs. They scared the green and black parish with the first shots, but the accuracy dropped to give Joventut the first solid lead (17-11). Without incidence of Shermadini in attack, it was Huertas who added for Tenerife. Also his external battery, which unfortunately for him was not as successful as Friday night.

Neither the defense, which allowed a 13-0 run to 36-23. Especially the one on the perimeter, because it is from there that Joventut did damage. Parra continued to be the leader his teammates believed in, but Salin took it upon himself to nip Penya’s wings at the root. The green and black suffered from the same ills (the external defense and some bad minutes in attack) and Lenovo returned the partial (36-35). In addition, they allowed too many offensive rebounds from the canaries. The tables had turned. Some good last minutes from the green and black, however, put Lenovo back behind just before the break (44-40).

The shots from two were a martyrdom for La Penya. The middle distance, few, but above all under the ring. It wasn’t Tomic’s night, but it wasn’t Birgander’s either. Neither of the two teams found the necessary fluidity to leave on the scoreboard, to chain a couple or three of good deeds, and the referees did not help either. very rigorous, andhe match was constantly interrupted by fouls. Only Marcelinho, in two individual actions, managed to alter the balance (48-52).

They were the worst moments for La Penya, with many problems to overcome Tenerife’s defense and escape the game plan that interested the Canaries, but Parra came to the rescue. 22 points before the last quarter to get ahead again based on triples (59-57).

The final minutes, as happens in tied matches of this importance, were very fought over. Both teams sweated through every basket, right down to the free throws, all missing more than usual. More epic than basketball, more blows than tactics, more failure than success to enter the last minute with a very slight home advantage (71-70). Feliz fumbled, Shermadini missed a free kick and, with the game tied, the surreal play of the night: Doornekamp being unsportsmanlike for raising his leg to Feliz’s waist level. The Olympic was a party, but it soon ended. The Dominican missed one of the shots, a subsequent triple and Lenovo Tenerife scored in a very fast transition. 72-73 and 3’9 seconds on the clock. The ball for Parra. He had led the team there and he could have been the hero, but that role was stolen from him by Abromaitis.. A block on his penetration gave the victory, and the pass to its first national final, to Lenovo Tenerife.