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may 26 2026ZARAGOZA. Valencia Basket took a crucial step in the fight for second place in the Liga Endesa with a 86-98 victory over Casademont Zaragoza at Príncipe Felipe. Pedro Martínez's team survived a demanding battle and imposed their superior quality in the decisive minutes against a rival now on the brink in the relegation fight.
Kameron Taylor was once again one of the great leaders of the Valencia team in a victory that allows the Valencians to climb to third place in the standings.
The game started with a very aggressive Casademont Zaragoza near the basket and taking advantage of Valencia Basket's early perimeter struggles. Gabriel Olaseni made an immediate impact and allowed the home team to take early leads.
However, the Aragonese team began to struggle closing out on the defensive glass, and that's when Valencia Basket started to grow. The greater depth of Pedro Martínez's team and the emergence of Brancou Badio gradually changed the rhythm of the game.
A great three-pointer from the Senegalese shooting guard right at the buzzer allowed the visitors to close out the first quarter ahead (23-27).
Absolute equality dominated the entire second quarter. Casademont Zaragoza found leadership in Santi Yusta, who tied the game midway through the quarter with a three-pointer celebrated with great passion by the home captain.
From there the game became a constant exchange of offensive blows. Omari Moore and Gabriel Olaseni maintained offensive prominence for both teams and the scoreboard barely found any separation before halftime (49-50).
The home team was finding great production in the paint thanks to Olaseni's outstanding performance, while Valencia Basket continued to grow through collective work and offensive distribution.
After halftime, defenses raised the physical intensity slightly, though the scoring pace remained very high. Casademont Zaragoza continued to punish near the basket and Valencia Basket responded from the perimeter.
Bojan Dubljevic tied the game from the free-throw line with two and a half minutes left in the third quarter (62-62), but it was precisely then when the Valencia team delivered the first serious blow of the game.
Pedro Martínez's team closed the third quarter with a very important run to reach the game's largest lead to that point (64-71).
Jean Montero quickly extended the lead to nine points at the start of the fourth quarter and it seemed Valencia Basket was beginning to definitively break open the game.
But Casademont Zaragoza reacted with pride. Trae Bell-Haynes, very quiet until then, appeared to lead the home comeback and bring the excitement back to the contest.
The home team got to within just one point (74-75) with still plenty of time to play, but Valencia Basket's response was immediate and devastating.
Five consecutive points from Kameron Taylor and a subsequent three-pointer from Sergio de Larrea built an 0-8 run that silenced Príncipe Felipe and reopened a decisive gap.
The Aragonese team tried to hold on until the end and even managed to reduce the deficit again, but Valencia Basket managed the final minutes much better and closed out a victory of enormous competitive value.
Kameron Taylor was one of the standout players for the Valencia team, while Gabriel Olaseni sustained Casademont Zaragoza for much of the game with a dominant performance in the paint.
With this victory, Valencia Basket remains fully in the fight for second place in the Liga Endesa. For their part, Casademont Zaragoza is in a very delicate situation and no longer controls their own fate in avoiding relegation.
