Juaristi Iraurgi 88-85 Palencia: With you, for you: Juaristi Iraurgi

Zuekin, zuentzat. With you, for you. Following the motto that the club has used throughout the season, the Juaristi Iraurgi offered this Friday to its fans, Azpeitia, Azkoitia, the Urola region, the whole of Gipuzkoa and any basketball fan the historic permanence that it ensured last night against Palencia (88-85) in a sports center that, for the second consecutive day, was packed and celebrated in a big way with around 1,300 fans the feat of the urolatarras.

The match was beautiful. A real exchange of blows in which the Juaristi, by very little, came out the winner. The tension grew until the last minute tied at 85. The drama could be seen coming, but the desire and hunger of the wolves of Iñaki Jiménez and Mikel Odriozola were much greater, and a triple by Savkov 47 seconds from the end put the definitive 88-85, not without touching the infarction for the up to three attempts that the Palencians had to force the extension.

The team with the lowest budget in the category – it does not reach 400,000 euros – has justly earned on the court to be one more year in the LEB Oro and to be one of the best thirty-six state basketball clubs. With a very young and inexperienced squad in the category, they have left behind in the classification a historic club like Peñas Huesca, a club like Palma that has been reinforced as the most for the second round and El Prat, the agreed club of the Joventut of the ACB. Only Ibon Guridi had previously competed in the LEB Oro, and that experience could be seen and enjoyed last night.

Azpeitiarra, captain and soul of Iraurgi, went up to 21 points, 19 in the second half, and appeared in the most delicate moments of the match, when the wrist trembled the most and the mind was cloudiest. Elevated to superhero with the mask that protects him from the nose injury he suffered, he threw himself to the opposite basket to get baskets and additional and encourage, beyond the fans, also his teammates that victory was possible.

There are not a few setbacks that Iñaki Jiménez’s team has suffered, also debuting in the LEB Oro and who before taking over the Juaristi board in the summer of 2019 was considering leaving the bench to dedicate himself to topography. The first week of preseason Kevin Buchingham, the starting power forward, suffered the injury that has prevented him from playing the entire season and his replacement, Nicholas, only played eight games before leaving for Palencia, where he lived this Friday on the visiting bench without play the salvation of his former team. As if that were not enough, the starting center Thiam also suffered a long-term injury and has only been available for fourteen games.

But against injuries and even Baskonia’s abuse of power in recent weeks, Juaristi Iraurgi has been able to get the thirteen victories that have saved them. In addition, the azpeiti-azkoitiarras have done it in a big way, with victories that only they have achieved, because Granada, the new ACB club, has come out defeated and crestfallen; the Students, the giant of this course; Coruña, Oviedo, Acunsa Gipuzkoa Basket, Alicante or Palencia.

The miracle has been possible, and the team from two towns will continue, if it once again gathers the necessary support, rubbing elbows in the second best league in Spain.