Defeat against a choral rival

Basketball Girona lost 69-86 against Juaristi in a second half where the team from Donostia achieved a score of 35-52

| Monday, 01 April 2019

Básquet Girona lost the last game of the first round against a very serious Juaristi who only trailed on the scoreboard in the last five minutes of the first half. The trio formed by Reaves, Powell and Orlov was unstoppable for the Girona players (49 points between the three).

The start of the match was very different for the two teams, while Girona moved the ball well but was confused at the same time as finishing, the visitors scored easily from inside the area with an intractable Orlov who basketed everything that came his way (7 – 19 minute 7). Àlex Formento saw that a stronger defense was missing, and brought in Alzamora and Xavi Costa. The change was positive and, in two minutes, the team closed the gap thanks to four consecutive Balearic points and an improvement at the back (14 – 21 minute 10).

In the second quarter, Girona maintained consistency in defence  and this gave him more confidence in attack (partial of 7 – 0) to score the open shots that had not entered before and turn the electronic one upside down (28 – 23 minute 16). However, Juaristi got back into the game thanks to the points of the American Powell and the game reached the break with a tie (34 – 34 minute 20).

In the restart, the Gipuzkoans again found many opportunities to score with Powell’s fast penetrations but, this time, there was a local response. Trias returned to it – six points in this quarter – and, when it seemed that the Basques could open a gap, two consecutive three-pointers from Cuéllar and Bolton stopped the rival escape attempt (50 – 58 minute 30).

In the last quarter, however, Lorenzo Encinas’s team set the bar very high and, in less than four minutes, Juaristi already led by sixteen points (52 – 68 minute 33).  From there, frustration took hold of a Girona team unable to slow down the rival game and the game ended in an inconsequential exchange of baskets.

*Alex Formento assessment:

“In the second half we didn’t have the ability to react. We had a lot of hope for the game and when things didn’t go our way, we got stuck “.

” We have to recover from this blow and prepare for the next match”. 

Basketball Girona’s next game will be in Fontajau, on Saturday the 6th (7:00 p.m.) against Basket Navarra.

Statistics

PHOTO: Sergi Geronès