VALENCIA. Valencia Basket returned to glory in Liga Femenina Endesa, defeating Casademont Zaragoza 68-67 in an unforgettable finish decided by Yvonne Anderson's buzzer-beater. The orange squad secured their fourth consecutive league title, a feat previously achieved only by Ros Casares, after a match filled with tension, comebacks, and a final possession destined to go down in club history.
Casademont Zaragoza started the game strong. Mariona Ortiz and Merritt Hempe punished from beyond the arc in the opening minutes, allowing the visiting team to seize control. Valencia Basket responded with patience, but the red squad found offensive rhythm and, with an inspired Ortiz early on, managed to maintain small leads throughout the first quarter. Laia Flores and Ornella Bankolé provided breathing room for the Aragonese team in the final stretch of the period, closing the first ten minutes ahead (18-22).
The momentum continued into the second quarter. Arnau Ferreres' team capitalized on their strong form to extend the lead to seven points, forcing Valencia Basket to play from behind. Awa Fam and Leo Fiebich appeared to halt the first serious escape attempt by the visitors, but each orange comeback found an answer from Casademont Zaragoza. Mariona Ortiz, with her third three-pointer, opened the gap again and put the score at 29-34 before a first-half finish marked by errors and poor shooting. At halftime, the visitors still led (33-36).
Valencia Basket came out with more energy after the break, though without the clarity needed to immediately change the script. Casademont Zaragoza resisted the local push and struck again to establish a significant lead following a basket by Hermosa that made it 41-49. Rubén Burgos called timeout and the reaction came from the direction of Leticia Romero.
The Canary Islands point guard changed the pace of the game and gave new life to the orange attack. Her impact was decisive in creating a 14-6 run that allowed Valencia to tie the score at 51, with eight of her points in that stretch. Still, Casademont Zaragoza closed the quarter better and a basket by Helena Pueyo left it at 51-53 before the final ten minutes.
The decisive fourth quarter had everything a final demands. Valencia Basket, pushed by the Palau crowd, managed to take the lead with a three-pointer by Leo Fiebich, but Mariona Ortiz responded with her fourth perfect three-pointer to return control to Casademont Zaragoza (61-63) with two minutes remaining. From that point on, the game became an exchange of blows with no room for error.
Awa Fam, in her final basket with Valencia Basket before departing for the WNBA, hit a huge three-pointer to put the orange squad up one with a minute left. Helena Oma answered to return the advantage to the Zaragoza team and leave the title hanging until the final possession. Then Yvonne Anderson appeared.
The orange wing assumed the final responsibility and converted the buzzer-beater that decided the game, the title, and a new golden chapter for Valencia Basket. Raquel Carrera, with 22 in performance rating, was recognized as the Finals MVP, in a final that once again confirmed the competitive capacity of a team that has already become part of recent Spanish women's basketball history.