The season ends with defeat in Cáceres

The opponent makes a decisive partial in the last period that makes the path to victory easier

| Sunday, 16 May 2021

Básquet Girona has finally failed to access the promotion play-off after losing against Cáceres in Extremadura (73-61). The team managed to grow at the beginning of the second half and got to +10 on the scoreboard, but a partial 20-0 run exhausted their options in the final stretch. Davis Rozitis and Gerard Sevillano in their return have been the only players to reach 10 rating points.

Girona’s start was convincing, with a partial 0-4 in the first two minutes, but the team scored the same points throughout the quarter, scoring again with three minutes left to play. Cáceres, which has also been very erratic, has taken advantage of two consecutive three-pointers to place the first maximum of eight points at the end of the first ten minutes (16-8).

The uneven scoring streak by both teams continued into the second period, scoring the first points when the third minute of play was almost complete. With 19-10 on the scoreboard, a partial 0-7, with five points from Pep Busquets, who has given energy to the team in a moment of uncertainty. A Ryan Logan basket at the time limit ended the first half with only two points down (26-24).

At the restart, the team put in another gear that allowed them to go ahead on the scoreboard for the first time in the game. The streaks of five consecutive points by Olaf Schaftenaar, Pedro Barral and Robert Cosialls have propelled the team, which has taken the initiative in the game and in the scoreboard (42-47) for almost the entire quarter.

The team finished five points ahead and the last quarter began with five points in a row from Albert Sàbat, which increased the lead to ten points (42-52). The revalidated rival was not long in coming. From outside shooting (Ferran Ventura 4/5 in triples), the opponent’s individual imbalance ability and the decisive contribution from 4.60 (12/14 in free throws), the team from Extremadura has evaporated the hopes of victory Girona with a partial lead of 31-6 after the five initial points from the llagosteren (73-61).  

Statements by Carlos Marco: 

“A game in which we were excellent in the first thirty-three minutes of games. Defending the paint, it was difficult for them to score, we managed to stop their important men but we were very bad in attack. I don’t know why, since it was a prize, but we missed very clear shots. In the third quarter we defended just as well and were a little better in attack. We left ten. They went desperate and we, instead of continuing to insist defensively, even if we were scoring, we didn’t do it. We let Berg score us four easy points, we didn’t chase Ferran Ventura, we didn’t stop him and a gale came our way. At this moment, this frustration of not being able to score in the first two quarters has come to us and with less energy.”