Caceres75-Unicaja Banco Oviedo, 99
Rooms: 8-14; 21-31; 21-32; 25-22
referees: Asier Quintas, Antonio Manuel Zamora and Alejandro Aranzana. Without eliminated. Techniques to the local coach and local player Mateo Díaz.
Multipurpose of Cáceres.
The Unicaja Banco Oviedo was this Friday in Cáceres a hurricane that devastated the pavilion of the city of Extremadura, dwarfing a rival that has been having an excellent season and showed that it is better not to bury this team before time. The crisis after the departure of Harald Frey, who paid for himself with six straight defeats, was definitively forgotten in Cáceres, where Natxo Lezkano’s team chained their second consecutive victory and shone as in their best moments of the season. With a different style, with some different protagonists, but playing basketball very well.
The ability to rebuild is praiseworthy, the speed with which they have been able to find new parts that adapt to the gear and that they do it like this Friday Olle Lundqvist or Hansel Atencia, both outstanding. The new face, the recovered state of mind, has been very good for players like McDonnell and Kamba, who once again put together a great game. Especially Kamba, who completely handcuffed the rival’s best scorer, Devin Schmidt, and who on top of that was an attacking nightmare, with a devastating first step. Jorgensen had a grayer day, but it didn’t matter. Nor did Kabasele feel discomfort in his knee during the warm-up that prevented him from playing. In his place, playing pivot, Elechi had his best game since he arrived at the Asturian team.
And that the game started badly for both teams, denied in scoring, thick and unwise. The only good thing for Unicaja Banco Oviedo at that start was that Cáceres was even worse than him. The disorder and haste dominated the attack of the two contenders for much of the first quarter. OCB, who ended up scoring 99 points, took four and a half minutes to score the first basket, through Oliver Arteaga, who put the score at a meager 4-2. The captain was the one who sustained the team from Oviedo in those erratic opening minutes scoring the first five points.
But if there was a team that couldn’t find a way to get their hands on the game, it was Cáceres, who always looked uncomfortable. The entrance of Atencia gave another rhythm to the blues, who also found the points and rebounds from McDonnell and an Elechi who was perfect. All together allowed the visitors to go six up to the second quarter (8-14). Lundqvist appeared there and the distance grew to the rhythm of the offensive fluidity, reaching 18 points (14-32) at 5:30 from the break and allowing Lezkano’s men to go sixteen up (29-45) to the locker room after two good actions of a Jorgensen who had started the duel quite badly.
The locker room exit was key. Either a Cáceres with many people in the pavilion clung to the match or the OCB sentenced it. And the second happened. Kamba’s recital on both sides of the court, the work of Arteaga and McDonnell under the hoops and the talent of Atencia completely dismantled a Cáceres who was beginning to lose his mind. The lead reached 28 points (39-67) just over three minutes from the end of the third quarter and stayed at 27 (50-77) to face a completely inconsequential fourth quarter.
The OCB leaves with this victory practically sentenced the permanence and now they can allow themselves to dream of contesting the promotion play-off. At least the duel has been completed, the joy has returned and on Tuesday there is another party in Pumarín.
