Historical ending

Basketball Girona wins the first title in its history in an epic final

| Saturday, 10 October 2020

The finals are head-to-head matches and, after two attempts, the third has been won. Girona Basketball has been proclaimed champion of the 21st edition of the Catalan League LEB Or in a final that dominated until the last quarter. A partial 12-0 in the last period has put fear in the bodies of the Girona players, who, faced with an adverse situation and scenario, have been able to oppose it with an invincible maturity and determination. The leadership of Albert Sàbat, the triples of Pep Busquets and the interior contributions of Ryan Logan and Davis Rozitis have starred in the offensive game of the visitors.  

A three-pointer from Ryan Logan answered the initial outside shot that opened the scoring. The Girona team has been effective in the first few games of the game, scoring in the first three possessions. A Saturday three-pointer generated the first timeout after a rocky start in which both teams took their measurements. After the first triple, the advantage has always been Girona, with differences of five and seven points that the rival team has not managed to shorten due to Girona’s good staging in defense (11-16).

The tonic behind and in front continued in the second period, with attacks with little continuity in front of the basket and intense defenses. Lleida’s powerful inner zone did not intimidate the red rearguard, who took advantage of their positive defensive performance to score points on the counterattack. A triple by Pep Busquets placed the first maximum of nine points (22-31, 16′). The same advantage with which they would reach the break (24-33).

Girona’s dominance, captained by Albert Sàbat, was accentuated in the restart. The initiative in defense and the good offensive dynamics have added success with a new maximum difference that has reached seventeen points after a triple by Olaf Schaftenaar (30-47, 25′). The rival from Lleida has reduced the differences with a partial 7-0 (37-47) even though the distance has never exceeded ten points in favor of the visiting team (42-53).

A triple by Pep Busquets started the last quarter, extending the lead to seventeen points. The match script of the rematch was maintained in the final minutes, with an intense pace of play that the Girona team managed to dominate on the scoreboard. A triple by Miquel Feliu reduced the difference to ten points for the first time in the second half (58-66, 38′).

The good half from Lleida has swelled to 12-0 but a three-pointer by Dani García cut it dry with less than a minute of possession. A three-pointer from Kaspars Vecvagars restored the difference and another from Mirza Bulic -11 points in the last quarter – reduced it to one point below (68-69). The final score was tied and the game went into overtime (70-70).

In extra time, the inner power of Davis Rozitis was noticed -7 points of 17-. The red team has shown a champion’s composure and conviction on both sides of the court. Sàbat, who ended up being MVP, has once again led the good reaction of the team in the last elections to bring the club’s first title to the showcases (79-87).

Statements by Carles Marco:

“Very happy with many things we did during the game and less happy with others that we have to improve if we want to fight and compete in every game. I think we made an effort but in the last quarter we are new to the league and if you lose track for two minutes what could have happened to us happens and we ended up fixing it.”

“Overall, happy to have finished the pre-season with a title. The first Girona Basketball title. My first Catalan League title and that of many of our players. It’s time to enjoy it today and think about the first game at LEB Or tomorrow.”