Innova-tsn Leganés and Spar Girona drew at Pabellón Europa, leaving everything open for Sunday's Game 2s. Casademont Zaragoza (+16), Valencia Basket (+13), and Perfumerías Avenida (+9) head home with commanding leads that invite optimism, though none are insurmountable as three teams look to close out their quarterfinal matchups and advance to the semifinals.
The night began with the presentation of awards to the players named best of the season in the LF Endesa, and after the applause came the competitive tension with the start of a quarterfinal series with much still to be decided for Sunday afternoon and evening.
Andrea Vilaró announced just days ago her departure from Perfumerías Avenida at the end of the season, but the Catalan forward seems unwilling to say goodbye to the Salamanca fans just yet. The exterior was the driving force for her team throughout the matchup, bringing that capacity for effort and sacrifice that puts her teammates in the fight for victory. The best proof was the 11 points scored by the captain in a first quarter that began to open up the gap. Thus her blue-and-white squad worked toward victory against a Hozono Global Jairis that never seemed comfortable and got stuck on offense in a second quarter that hurt the visitors' morale. Despite this, Bernat Canut's team understood the moment of the game to cut it to 8 points in a third quarter that recovered some calm, leaving the deficit still manageable for the return matchup. A game in which they will need to improve their shooting percentages to reverse their fortune against a fighting Avenida (74-65).
Minutes later came the first road victory of the night for Valencia Basket, which managed to approach its game in Lugo with confidence in its own play. From the opening moments, a team very focused on achieving its objective was evident, with an image very different from what was shown in recent games. Starting with solid defense and generosity in offensive play so that Fiebich and Anderson alternated offensive prominence, marking the first differences of the game. A matchup in which the usual leadership of Alicia Flórez began to be insufficient for Durán Maquinaria Ensino against the good rebounding work of Rubén Burgos's team to mark differences up to +13 at the final buzzer (72-85).
And Casademont Zaragoza was not going to fail in its away appointment with victory, perfectly controlling the game's tempo in Arnau Ferreres's debut on the bench. The Aragonese team was able to mark differences very early against an Ingeniería Ambiental CAB Estepona that missed the absences of its main scorers, and in which Meli Gretter tried in every way possible to contain with her play a rival that exploited every action to the maximum. Especially in a final stretch in which the Aragonese felt comfortable with two point guards on the floor so that Laia Flores finished breaking open the game, securing a comfortable lead for the return matchup (68-84).
A night that was completed with a draw in the matchup at Pabellón Europa in Leganés where Javi Fort's team was able to impose its game plan during a complete first quarter to examine its rival's weaknesses. Thus, Innova-tsn Leganés went into the first break with a +12 built on 10 minutes of stellar play from Aminata Sangare. Although Spar Girona was not going to give up, notably improving its performance after the timeout and beginning to exploit its options through the hands of Mariam Coulibaly, who kept up with the game's pace to lead her team. Thus, the Girona squad recovered ground and, above all, confidence, to equalize the battle with a rival in a tight finish in which Jocyte sent the series tied to Fontajau (82-82).
PLAYOFF FOR THE TITLE:
QUARTERFINALS:
A) Casademont Zaragoza (1st) vs Ing. Ambiental CAB Estepona (8th)
Game 1: Ing. Ambiental CAB Estepona vs Casademont Zaragoza (68-84 | +16 CZG) | MVP: A. Gueye - 24 val.
Game 2: Sunday May 3 | 6:30 p.m. | Pab. Príncipe Felipe (Zaragoza)
📺 TV: Youtube FEB / CanalFEB.tv
B) Spar Girona (2nd) vs Innova-tsn Leganés (7th)
Game 1: Innova-tsn Leganés vs Spar Girona (82-82 | TIE) | MVP: A. Sangare - 37 val.
Game 2: Sunday May 3 | 6:10 p.m. | Pavelló Girona-Fontajau (Girona)
📺 TV: Youtube FEB, with Atiga and Paula Palomares
C) Valencia Basket (3rd) vs Durán Maquinaria Ensino (6th)
Game 1: Durán Maquinaria Ensino vs Valencia Basket (72-85 | +13 VBC) | MVP: L. Fiebich - 24 val.
Game 2: Sunday May 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Roig Arena (Valencia)
📺 TV: as.TV
D) Hozono Global Jairis (4th) vs Perfumerías Avenida (5th)
Game 1: Perfumerías Avenida vs Hozono Global Jairis (74-65 | +9 CBA) | MVP: A. Vilaró - 18 val.
Game 2: Sunday May 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Pabellón Fausto Vicent (Alcantarilla)
📺 TV: Teledeporte