Barcelona eliminated the defending champion and will play in the Lliga Catalana final. The team defeated Kids&Us Manresa 77-90 in the decisive matchup and will face iLerna Lleida this Sunday at 12:00 p.m. to try to reclaim the title two years later.
A clash of similar styles
The interest in the game lay in the approach. Barcelona faced a physical rival that has spent years playing the way Aleksander Sekulic wants to implement at the Palau, so the battle came down to who could sustain that pace for more minutes. And Barcelona won that battle.
The initial intensity translated into turnovers and low shooting percentages. From 7-2 onward, Manresa dominated with narrow margins supported by Timmy Allen, and the first quarter ended 18-14.
In the second quarter, both teams improved their accuracy. Joel Parra set the tone for Barcelona, followed by Brizuela, Agbo, and Tamba. Barcelona seemed to pull away in the 17th minute after a basket by Juan Núñez (28-33), but Manresa responded with an 8-0 run featuring two three-pointers and free throws from Allen. A three-pointer by Agbo and three free throws by Villar left it 42-38 at halftime for the Bages team.
The third quarter changed everything
Hugo Benítez's baskets after the restart suggested that Manresa would really tighten up, and the home team's lead reached seven points (45-38). Then came the reaction: a 5-16 run that forced a Manresa timeout and transformed the game, with skilled plays from Joel Parra, the timely contribution of Agustín Ubal, and above all, the emergence of Tyrese Martin.
The stat that sums up that stretch is devastating: Manresa didn't score their first two-pointer until the final second of the third quarter, which ended 55-62. A clear sign of how the game's pace was taking a physical toll.
In the fourth quarter, with Olivier Nkamhoua shining at times and Justin Robinson hitting clutch baskets, the Bages team managed to get within ten (72-82) but never had real chances against a more physical and deeper opponent.
The standouts
Robinson was Barcelona's leading scorer with 17 points, accompanied by an excellent Joel Parra (15) and Tyrese Martin, who shone in the second half to finish with 10. Timmy Allen, with 18, was the one who best withstood Manresa's push.
For Barcelona, this is the second victory since the preseason began, following the friendly against MoraBanc Andorra in Encamp that was decided in overtime. And the first solid sign that Sekulic's system works against a rival that plays the same way.