Jonathan Kasibabu Left Everything on the Court in Heartbreaking Loss for Fuenlabrada, 80-79

A crucial playoff positioning matchday 28 game at Pabellón Ángel Nieto saw CB Zamora and Baloncesto Fuenlabrada face off in a direct battle for postseason spots.

The Madrid side came in eighth in the standings with a record of 14 wins and 12 losses. Meanwhile, the Castilian-Leonese team arrived in eleventh place with a record of 11 wins and 14 losses. A decisive game for Iñaki Martín's squad to maintain their playoff position and for Saulo Hernández's team to fight for those spots.

CB Zamora was missing Colby Rogers and Bine Perpelic, while Baloncesto Fuenlabrada was without Brooks DeBisschops.

The quarter began and Vítor Benite started the show. With two three-pointers, he gave Fuenlabrada an early advantage in the opening exchanges (5-8). Augusto Lima joined in with less than three minutes on the court. Dani Manchón went to work to maintain Fuenlabrada's lead during Zamora's best stretches. Those came with the entry of Josep Peris and Omar Lo, especially the latter, who was punishing them with his speed in transition (14-18).

The quarter closed with a clear advantage for Baloncesto Fuenlabrada (16-23), with great minutes from Prince Ali, who added 6 points for his team. Augusto Lima was struggling to show his level and didn't shine in this first quarter, going 0-for-3 from the field.

The second quarter started with Prince Ali continuing to score from mid-range (18-25). The visiting team suffered greatly from Paukste's size and, combined with great ball movement from Ty Roberts, it became 27-27. Augusto Lima then appeared in the air to make it 27-29 and return the advantage to his team.

This would be the last lead Iñaki Martín's team would see, as they were visibly frustrated on the court with the referees' decisions. Added to this frustration was a scoring drought in some poor minutes that gave Saulo's team the biggest lead (37-31). The first half closed with a three-pointer from Vítor Benite to dress up the scoreboard and go into halftime 39-37.

The halftime break did the visitors good, as they started with great intensity. Mateo Díaz was the hottest, and with two three-pointers he returned the advantage to his team (45-46).

Jonathan Kasibabu picked up the torch from Mateo, and he seemed determined not to lose today's game. The power forward was giving everything on both sides of the court, with incredible blocks and forcing 2+1 plays continuously, which put Fuenlabrada up 47-54. The Ángel Nieto crowd responded to this great level with noise against the power forward. The Congolese player fouled out and it showed on the scoreboard at the end of the quarter (56-60).

CB Zamora maintained the positive momentum from the end of the third quarter in the final period, heating up the game after tying it 68-68. Kasibabu returned to stop the bleeding for Flexicar Fuenlabrada, and he did it with free throws and a 2+1 to make it 69-73. Quickly, Jacob Round tied it (75-75) with a 3+1 that lifted the Ángel Nieto.

Immediately after, Jonathan Kasibabu received a very hard foul that was protested by Fuenlabrada fans. The bleeding that Kasibabu had stopped was now in his nose and, because of it, he couldn't return to the court, as he had to be attended to. Exchange of baskets between Benite and an incredible alley-oop from Van Zegeeren to make it 77-77. Iñaki Martín called timeout for the final play. Mateo Díaz quickly received a foul and made it 77-79.

Final possession for Zamora and Ty Roberts hit a masterful three-pointer to make it 80-79 with six seconds left. Flexicar Fuenlabrada quickly inbounded from the corner to try for the game-winner, but the play came to nothing, as the referees called traveling on Mateo Díaz in a heavily protested play.

Thus ends a highly contested and entertaining matchup, though with a bitter ending due to the referees' decisions. The game's MVP was Jonathan Kasibabu, who contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Had the player not been lost in the final minutes, the result would surely have been different. Now the playoff positions tighten, with Zamora entering the equation and a fight between Ourense, Alicante, Fuenlabrada, Menorca, and Zamora for the final spots.