Defensive armor and return to the winning path (85-68)

Without the help of Álex Suárez or Rubén López, Gonzalo García changed the quintet, moving Radoncic to four and introducing Hughes on the perimeter. Forced and logical compromises that did not resent the team, quite the opposite. Betis fueled the attack… as well as Palencia in a first quarter of open doors in defense, very fast, with Renfroe, Hughes and Benite making themselves noticeable in the offensive maneuvers; and with DeBisschop breaking ground, scoring and nullifying the impact of Krutwig, unnoticed at half-time. With the zonal defense at the end of the quarter, Palencia raised doubts for Betis, but they neither achieved accounting revenue nor insisted on it. It was a very even match, without respite, of reply and counter-reply, with high shooting percentages and discreet defenses.

Hughes, scorer of the tie at the end of the first quarter (23-23), invented another basket past the rim to uncork the second without the extra bonus (25-23). Until that moment, Betis approved, and with flying colors, Torrelavega’s pending subject: the rebound. And without Álex Suárez or Rubén López, two of their four, both injured. Cvetkovic finally found Kasibabu (27-23) while Palencia was unexpectedly fueled by a supporting actor: Dimitrov. The uncomfortable guest accused the presence of the second unit on the court and Betis Baloncesto grew with the ringing of Hughes, who had connected the tube to the basket. He led the way and was then the absolute offensive reference of the team as reflected by an incontestable fact: 15 of the team’s 31 points carried his signature (31-26). His wrists were burning and from the triple, imperial, he continued adding (34-26) in the first green-and-white break threat. He should have done it from 4.60, but between DeBisschop (three) and Hughes (one) they missed up to four consecutive free throws.

Betis broke through the most difficult way, which for this team is still the simplest: the triple. From the 6.75 border it has dynamite. Two goals from Benite and Renfroe (42-31) opened the gap, and then an excellent play with a chipped pass and basket from Renfroe (44-31) fired at a much superior Betis that overwhelmed its rival on the rebound. He doubled it (9/18). The hypertensive Betis Baloncesto, guided by Renfroe’s compass (eleven points at the break), beat a Palencia with low defenses, very blurred, broken by a sloppy rearguard, without any strength. The rotation suited him badly and there, when the benches were activated, the difference in resources between one squad and another was noticeable. Benite, with an orthodox penetration from his right side, ended an excellent first half for Betis (48-35). He led the rebound (21/10), averaged 50% in the triple (7/14) and the collective rating of one (62) and another (24) summed up the state of things.

Notice and correction

On the return, Krutwig monopolized the game, also points, and Palencia, with his rump, gave Betis a 2-9 partial (51-44) in just over two minutes that advanced the evil intentions of the Castilians. Next Gonzalo García called his men to correct them and wake them up. The party did not allow relaxation. DeBisschop sank it in the pick & roll with Renfroe. That partnership generated dividends for Betis, which once again became active in defense and did not allow second chances on the rebound. Cvetkovic took over from Renfroe in the 35th minute (55-47) and came on strong: triple and assist for Hughes (61-47), who insisted on the same luck. In the same way, Kamba supported Palencia in the game, but without much conviction. Betis hit his jaw at every attempt at a reaction as if he were a heavy weight. Another green and white burst, with a basket by Cvetkovic and a counter finish by DeBisschop after a great defense on Krutwig… established the maximum (65-50). Guil was running out of solutions and antidotes, as well as aces up his sleeve against an airtight Betis that defended at a high level and moved to the tune of its two bases (67-55). Renfroe and Cvetkovic had fifteen points, seven assists.

The match called for defense, control, long attacks, that speed of the game that Betis also manages. In a word: chloroform. Benite expanded to 19 (74-55) when Palencia was already gasping, frustrated because they could not find solutions and crashed again and again against a real wall, the green and white defense, which repelled everything. He left the guest at 37% from the field. It was Renfroe’s night, who scored and assisted a DeBisschop with whom both the American and Cvetkovic hit it off. The victory was more than tied thanks to a supportive and solvent, solid, practically flawless exercise, with which he minimized a direct rival for promotion. With the seams completely open, the green and white players already played at will, looking for the extra pass and scoring from the triple (83-62, Doménech) to round off a peaceful night in which Betis Baloncesto had the virtue of other days: making it seem easy the difficult