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may 16 2026BURGOS. Barça Atlètic became the first finalist in Liga U history after defeating Casademont Zaragoza 98-88 in an intense semifinal at El Plantío. The blaugrana squad, led by a dominant Mohamed Dabone and a crucial Mo Keita down the stretch, overcame a rival that fought until the final minutes and never stopped competing.
The game started with a clear message from Barça Atlètic. Nil Poza quickly connected with Mohamed Dabone on a spectacular alley-oop that opened the contest and set the physical tone of the matchup.
But Casademont Zaragoza responded immediately. Matija Lukic started completely inspired and punished from beyond the arc and mid-range to put the Aragonese side ahead. Limamoulaye Fayé also appeared with force in transition and forced Barça to quickly turn to the bench after the early 7-12 deficit.
The duel grew in intensity as the minutes passed. Mohamed Dabone began to dominate above the rim and Barça Atlètic found new energy with the arrival of Mo Keita and Jan Cerdán.
The blaugrana squad accelerated the offensive pace and managed to turn the score around thanks to Keita's physical impact and Cerdán's dynamism, although Casademont Zaragoza continued to punish with second chances and Sasha Savkov's work near the basket.
The first quarter ended wide open with another Dabone play to tie it at 24-24.
In the second period, Barça Atlètic's best offensive moment appeared. Mohamed Dabone opened the quarter with a spectacular block and the blaugrana began to move the ball much better on offense.
Nil Poza, Boumtje-Boumtje and Siftar punished from three-point range while the Catalan squad found increasingly more space. The good offensive movement temporarily overwhelmed Casademont Zaragoza and forced Jorge Serna to call timeout at 42-36.
Barça Atlètic continued to grow from the perimeter and extended the lead to 48-38 thanks to more three-pointers from Boumtje-Boumtje and Poza. Still, the Aragonese squad resisted thanks to Savkov's competitive character and collective defensive work, reaching halftime still very much alive (53-46).
The second half maintained the same physical and competitive level. Casademont Zaragoza came back led by Lukic and Anthony Rodríguez, while Barça found many difficulties attacking an increasingly aggressive defense.
At 60-58, Álvaro Salinas was forced to call timeout after the Aragonese reaction. That's when Mohamed Dabone reappeared.
The blaugrana big man sustained Barça Atlètic with spectacular plays on both sides of the court. First he dominated on an offensive rebound and shortly after he delivered an impressive block on the glass over Fayé that lifted the crowd at El Plantío.
Still, Casademont Zaragoza never stopped believing. Fayé continued to create problems off the dribble and a turnover converted by Álvaro Cativiela left the contest wide open at the end of the third quarter (67-65).
The final ten minutes were a constant exchange of blows. Casademont Zaragoza even tied the game at 78 thanks to Lukic and Carlos Alías, forcing Barça Atlètic to react at the most delicate moment.
That's when Mo Keita appeared. The blaugrana guard scored four consecutive points that changed the momentum again and returned control to the Catalan squad.
Barça Atlètic also took advantage of several offensive mistakes by Casademont Zaragoza down the stretch and finished closing out the game thanks to a crucial 2+1 from Diego Ferreras and their physical superiority in the final possessions.
Mohamed Dabone and Mo Keita finished as the blaugrana's leading scorers with 20 points each. For Casademont Zaragoza, Limamoulaye Fayé stood out with 22 points and Matija Lukic with 16.
