Providential and long-suffering victory for Barça in Gran Canaria to stay alive in the fight to enter the Copa del Rey. Joan Peñarroya’s team beat the Canaries 74-77 in another heart-stopping finale in which everything was open until the last play. With the victory, the Blaugrana saved the first match ball to stay in the fight to qualify for the cup tournament. It is worth remembering that, if they do not achieve this, the Catalan team would not compete for the first time in its history, which would mean a real catastrophe for the entity.
The Blaugrana team came out onto the Gran Canaria Arena’s hardwood conscious of being on the brink of the abyss. It was only worth winning. Furthermore, the victory of Baxi Manresa at the home of Casademont Zaragoza opened the possibility of Peñarroya’s pupils returning to eighth place if they beat Jaka Lakovic’s team.
Despite the good attitude, the match was a demonstration of what the season is going for Barça: very irregular. The momentous event started with a Gran Canaria that was more plugged in and more successful than the culés, since in the first three minutes they accumulated a 9-4 advantage. From 12-7 onwards, Barça began to be more refined in the offensive rebounds and had a very effective Metu and a Punter from the three-point line.
The pace of the duel, very intense, had a small lull in the last minutes of the first quarter. When it seemed that the first ten minutes would end with a favorable lead for the local team (18-16), Juan Núñez stole the ball on the Canaries’ last possession and equalized the light on the horn that marked the end of the first quarter.
In the next ten minutes, the best defensive version of Barça appeared, very precise in defensive rebounds. Abrines was key under the basket. This allowed Peñarroya’s team to take the lead on the scoreboard for the first time and they went up six (23-29). With Satoransky driving the Barça helm and Parker and Metu – who had 13 points – putting the icing on the cake, the Catalans went into the break with a seven-point lead (32-39). The team had gone from strength to strength and this was reflected in the electronics.
After going through the locker room, the Blaugrana came out strong again and managed to put themselves 12 points ahead of their opponents (36-48). Punter, the best of the game, was even more explosive after the restart: he scored nine points in less than three minutes. After a timeout requested by Lakovic, the Canarian team rowed and began to close the gap with the visitors, linking a 7-0 run. Barça began to suffer and Gran Canaria came within two points, but a triple by Brizuela in the final seconds left the lead at 56-61 before the final ten minutes.
In the early stages of the fourth half, the Blaugrana once again showed their shortcomings in the final stretches of the matches, which have caused so many slips and stumbles throughout the course. When everything seems on track, the road becomes uphill on the court. From being 12 up in the first three minutes of the third quarter to being behind with six minutes left (67-65). A real roller coaster.
Unlike what happened against Penya and Girona, Joan Peñarroya’s team reacted to the sound of Punter: proof of this is that they scored 19 points in the second half. The culés endorsed a partial score of 0-10, which gave them peace of mind. However, the last word was not said. There was a final push from the Canaries, who led 74-75 with eleven seconds remaining in the match.
In the end, a foul in attack by Albicy allowed the Blaugrana to break their streak of three consecutive defeats in the Endesa League and continue in the fight to get the ticket, precisely, to Gran Canaria for the Cup. To do this, yes, They will also have to save the last check at home against Bilbao Basket next Sunday. The problem is that it doesn’t depend only on that. If Zaragoza wins their next game and Baskonia also wins the two they have pending, the culés will be in if they do not surpass them in basketaverage.
The negative part was the injury to Álex Abrines, who had to leave the court with six minutes left after his knee collided with that of Carlos Alocén. Abrines retired with tears and without being able to put his left leg on the ground. It remains to be seen the extent of the illness.
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