From Tarragona, with José María Santiago courtside. C.B. Jairis secured their spot in the Copa de la Reina final with a hard-fought 76-73 victory over Perfumerías. It wasn't a brilliant performance, but it was filled with emotion and decided in the final moments. The Bertsch (17 points) - Ayuso (18 points) duo led Bernat Canut's team to repeat their final appearance. Perfumerías fought until the final whistle, and despite a stellar performance from Yyana Martín (20 points), it wasn't enough. Will Jairis be able to repeat last year's title? We'll find out tomorrow at the Palau d'Esports in Tarragona.
Perfumerías Avenida came out determined to build an early lead from the start. In no time they were up seven (2-9 at the 2-minute mark), led by Renan Magarity (4 points).
As the minutes went by, Jairis found the basket with more ease. Bertsch (8 points) was in fine form on offense, cutting into the deficit (11-14 at the 5-minute mark). However, Bernat Canut's team couldn't stop Salamanca's attack. Iyana Martín (6 points) was playing brilliantly (15-20 at the 7-minute mark).
Jairis didn't panic and possession after possession, settled into the game. The arrival of Billie Massey (4 points) was a perfect fit for the Alcantarilla squad. After one of her baskets, almost at the buzzer, the Murcia team took the lead (23-22 at the 10-minute mark). Anna Montañana couldn't count on Claudia Soriano, who was injured yesterday against Spar Girona, and Avenida began to feel the effects.
At the start of the second quarter, both teams were sluggish. In fact, Perfumerías went more than five minutes without scoring. C.B. Jairis didn't fully capitalize on this situation, though they extended their lead (28-22 at the 15-minute mark). Avenida's problems were mounting. Yyana Martín was substituted with physical discomfort.
The inaccuracy continued on both sides of the court and scoring became elusive. Perfumerías had only made one basket in eight minutes. Aina Ayuso (5 points) capped off a fast break and the Murcia lead grew to eight points (33-25 at the 18-minute mark).
Anna Montañana was forced to bring Iyana Martín (11 points) back in, who changed the face of the Salamanca team. Five consecutive points from the young point guard, combined with three free throws made by Spreafico, left the game wide open (37-36 at the 20-minute mark). Bernat Canut's team was up one, but with the feeling they had wasted a great opportunity. Everything remained to be decided heading into the second half.
The start of the second half was very even. In this stretch, we witnessed a duel between high-quality point guards. Yyana Martín (16 points) continued carrying Perfumerías, while Aina Ayuso (7 points) entered the action. Jairis continued to lead by the slimmest of margins (50-49 at the 26-minute mark).
The back-and-forth continued until the end of the third quarter. The Alcantarilla team wanted to repeat their final appearance and had the initiative (55-54 at the 30-minute mark). We had ten minutes of pure drama ahead of us.
The game could have gone either way. We reached the midpoint of this final period with everything still to be decided. Two free throws from Aina Ayuso (9 points) left the score tied at 62. More even than that would be impossible.
The Ayuso (13 points) - Martín (20 points) duel continued at a high level (68-68 at the 38-minute mark). A three-pointer from Morgan Bertsch (17 points) put Jairis up three (71-68 at the 39-minute mark). Given how the game had unfolded, it could be a significant advantage.
A flagrant foul by Alba Prieto could have tied things up, but Laura Spreafico missed both free throws. Perfumerías would likely remember those misses at the end of the game. With seven seconds remaining, C.B. Jairis was up two with possession (72-70).
Despite Avenida's efforts, including a three-pointer from Spreafico, Jairis sealed the victory from the free throw line, with an outstanding Aina Ayuso (18 points). The Murcia team won 76-73 and will play in tomorrow's championship game.