Zaragoza, Apr 1 (EFE).- Casademont Zaragoza made history this Saturday by entering the final of the Copa de la Reina for the first time in its short life after eliminating the great favorite of the competition, Valencia Basket, which could not with the impetus and the good game of the Aragonese group.
With only three years of existence, the team from Zaragoza was one step away from the cupbearer title they have dreamed of since the Aragonese capital was chosen as the venue, despite being aware that they are far from being a favourite.
However, the great season they are having and the fact of playing at home have given them a plus that was reflected both in the quarterfinal against Araski and against Valencia.
The Aragonese and Valencian women played a great match with a great atmosphere in the stands in which the ‘rojillas’ knew how to overcome the bad start to come back against a Valencia that was fighting but was overcome by the desire and success of the Aragonese team, especially in the final leg.
The Valencian team came out like a shot onto the track and with an overwhelming defense managed to close the passes to the paint towards Markheisa Gatling and that Leo Fiebich could barely receive.
This, together with the mistake in the shots since Rubén Burgos’s team was very fluid in attack and accurate, allowed the ‘taronjas’ to have up to 15 rental points (20-7) in the 6th minute, although Casademont He managed to save the furniture at the end of the first set, reducing the difference to ten (28-18).
The Maño team managed to overcome their bad start to the match and with a lot of work behind them, to the point that in the second quarter they only allowed their rival to score 6 points, they gradually closed the gap, despite the great game by Raquel Carrera that midway through the second quarter he had scored almost half of his team’s points.
Even so, the offensive improvement of the ‘rojillo’ team began to take its toll on the Valencian defensive system and with a brave Vega Gimeno, who scored two consecutive triples after having been very unsuccessful in the first ten minutes, spurred on her teammates, and Casademont Zaragoza managed to equalize the contest seconds before reaching the break.
The reaction of Carlos Cantero’s team did not stop there, with some excellent minutes from Imani Tate and great defensive work, and Casademont Zaragoza turned the game around, reaching up to 7 points ahead (41-48), although, Once again with a great Race, Valencia managed to minimize damage and enter the final set with a tight score (45-48).
But Valencia had not said its last word and with a 9-0 run between minutes 33 and 35 it returned to take control of the score (58-53).
Far from being intimidated, Casademont Zaragoza threw with pride and caste, and once again with two three-pointers from Vega Gimeno they changed the script of the match. The hand team believed in victory and matched the Levantine partial with a 1-18 in the last five minutes that gave them access to the first final in their history.
– Datasheet:
59 – Valencia Basket (28+6+11+14): Leti Romero (2), Casas (13), Burdick (-), Carrera (24), Cox (5) -first five- Torrens (3), Ouviña ( 6), Buenavida (-), Salvadores (1) and Gulich (5).
74 – Casademont Zaragoza (18+16+14+26): Mariona Ortiz (7), Oma (2), Fiebich (16), Vega Gimeno (18), Gatling (8) – starting five – Tate (11), Grande (5), Lara González (2), Geldolf (-) and Gracia Alonso (5).
Referees: Jacobo Rial, Paula Lema and Cristina Adam.
Incidents: first semifinal of the Copa de la Reina played in the Príncipe Felipe de Zaragoza pavilion before 8,876 spectators, a figure that represents a record attendance in this competition.