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may 15 2026With a hard-fought victory at Príncipe Felipe, Valencia Basket secured Game 1 of the finals and regained home-court advantage. They can now clinch the title next Sunday at Roig Arena, or Casademont Zaragoza will get another chance to win their first league championship on their home floor.
Elena Buenavida led Valencia Basket and, with her commanding presence on the court, the orange squad took a 0-1 series lead while reclaiming home-court advantage and earning the right to decide the championship next Sunday at their home venue.
Casademont Zaragoza took the floor at Príncipe Felipe backed by their passionate fans with more than 8,000 spectators in the stands and supported by Helena Oma's return to the roster after injury. That initial momentum showed in the play of a team that seemed comfortable on the court during the opening minutes, building early leads. Nadia Fingall was effective in that regard, countering the strong performance of Elena Buenavida, who made the most of every possession to establish her presence on the court (23-21).
An exchange of blows that began to shift after the first quarter in favor of Valencia Basket, who sought their first statement of the game with a 2-10 run to take their first lead. Rubén Burgos's team looked sharp and it showed both in their play and on the scoreboard, with Hillsman standing out in the paint to seriously trouble Casademont Zaragoza, who trailed by 13 at halftime (30-43).
Little changed after the break with Valencia Basket multiplying their defensive efforts to neutralize every comeback attempt by Casademont Zaragoza, where Mariona Ortiz's playmaking, Helena Oma's fighting spirit, and Barkolé's scoring were not enough to cut the deficit below double digits (49-59). With all that, the game headed to a fourth quarter where the crowd got fully invested in a comeback attempt that Buenavida's talent would gradually dismantle, allowing Valencia Basket to take Game 1 (73-81 | 0-1).
Thus, the orange squad will have the opportunity to clinch the title next Sunday at Roig Arena where, conversely, a Casademont victory would bring the finals series back to Príncipe Felipe.
