Valencia Basket Wins Queen's Cup Championship, Overcomes 14-Point Deficit to Defeat Jairis 70-65

In Tarragona, with Jose María Santiago courtside. Valencia Basket is the new Queen's Cup Champion. The Valencian team defeated C.B. Jairis 70-65 in the final. A final with two distinct halves: the first dominated by Murcia thanks to three-point shooting, and the second where the physicality of Rubén Burgos' squad proved decisive. Valencia showed resilience and managed to overcome a 14-point deficit from the first half. Despite the loss, honor to C.B. Jairis for their tournament performance. Khaalia Hillsman named tournament MVP.

The first basket of the Queen's Cup final came from German Leo Fiebich for Valencia Basket. The opening moments of the game were very evenly matched. Two consecutive three-pointers from Alba Prieto (6 points) gave Jairis the first advantages (7-10 at minute 3).

Another three-pointer from Aina Ayuso forced Rubén Burgos to call a timeout. The Murcia squad had started strong from beyond the arc (3 of 4) and was leading on the scoreboard (7-13 at minute 4).

The ball movement from Bernat Canut's team was a delight to watch. Morgan Bertsch (6 points) continued scoring against a stunned Valencia, and the lead grew to fourteen points (7-21 at minute 7). Valencia Basket wasn't having their day from three-point range and was doing well just to contain the Murcia onslaught.

Alba Prieto's performance (11 points) was absolutely outstanding. A three-pointer from the Jairis wing was answered by a layup from Hillsman (4 points), who was the only one performing well for Valencia. We reached the end of the first quarter at 11-24 for the Alcantarilla squad.

The start of the second quarter was all Valencia. A 6-0 run for the home team put them back in the game (17-24 at minute 12). The defense from Rubén Burgos' squad had intensified and was suffocating Jairis' offense. Bernat Canut called a timeout, hoping to stop the orange team's comeback.

The timeout worked. With the entry of Laura Gil (6 points) and Bertsch (9 points), Jairis recovered their first-quarter identity. A three-pointer from the latter gave the Murcia team wings again (23-33 at minute 17).

When Valencia Basket was struggling most, the class of Leo Fiebich (9 points) appeared. Five consecutive points from the German brought Rubén Burgos' squad back close (31-36 at minute 19).

We went to halftime with two points from the stellar Alba Prieto (16 points). Her first half had been picture-perfect. Both teams headed to the locker room with Murcia leading (31-38). We had witnessed a great first half of basketball.

The key to the game up to that point lay in three-point shooting accuracy. Two of twelve for Valencia versus six of eleven for Jairis. A big difference between the two teams.

After halftime, the movie of the game changed radically. In the blink of an eye, Valencia Basket turned the scoreboard around. With a 10-0 run led by Raquel Carrera (7 points), Rubén Burgos' squad took the lead (41-38 at minute 22). C.B. Jairis was overwhelmed by Valencia's intensity.

Valencia Basket continued on fire and extended their lead. The run was now 17-5 (48-43). Bernat Canut made substitutions, but couldn't find the right formula. Elena Buenavida and Anderson (both with 10 points) gave no respite to the Murcia perimeter (52-47 at minute 27).

A three-pointer from Billie Massey for Jairis with five seconds left in the third quarter gave some hope to the Alcantarilla squad (58-50 at minute 30). Despite this, the run in this period was 27-12 and could have been key in the final's outcome.

Jairis' fuel seemed to have run out. Without a doubt, the fatigue from playing three consecutive days was taking its toll. Abdelkader (6 points) left the Alcantarilla squad on the brink (62-50 at minute 32).

Raquel Carrera (11 points) shut down a timid Murcia comeback. The exhaustion in Jairis was evident; four of their last free throw attempts had been missed. These could be missed at the end of the game. A three-pointer from Aina Ayuso (9 points) left the scoreboard at 69-63, just over two minutes from the end. Valencia had it within reach.

Jairis' pride was worthy of mention. Two free throws from Laura Gil put them within four in the final minute (69-65 at minute 39). But that's where Bernat Canut's squad's resistance ended. Raquel Carrera (12 points) sealed the final victory 70-65 and Valencia Basket was crowned Queen's Cup Champion.