Class Sant Antoni made history this Saturday by qualifying for the first time for the quarterfinals of the promotion phase to LEB Oro. They did so after defeating Melilla Ciudad del Sport Enrique Soler by 78-68. The islanders, who had won by the minimum in the first leg of the round of 16 (78-79), had to suffer again, but they did not fail. The third time was the charm and the team coached by David Barrio also learned to advance in this fight to settle in the anteroom of the ACB. Portmany’s men are already waiting for a rival at the next crossing.
With the end of the match, the Class players exploded with joy, along with the 1,300 spectators who gathered at the sports venue, who carried their team through the bad moments. Because the Melilla team were a very difficult rival, who sold their defeat dearly and did not give up until the final stretch of the match.
It will not be the last dance for Jordi Grimau, captain of the Balearic bloc who this week confirmed his retirement. The Catalan, a reference in the Ibizan club’s project, will have at least two more games to add to his already overwhelming professional career. In the mind, leave his Sant Antoni in the LEB Oro, but for that there are still two rounds to go through.
The Ibizan team came out well in the clash. The locals took the first quarter 21-17. Already in the second act, Barrio’s team started overwhelmingly. A triple by Gonzalo Iglesias, another by Rafa Casanova and a basket of two by Aleix Haro, after a steal by the Catalan, catapulted the locals up to 29-17. Alejandro Alcoba, coach of the Melilla team, called a time-out to stop a Sant Antoni team that had signed an 8-0 partial. However, Enrique Soler held on to the court and, with Okanu being a differential and doing a lot of damage in the paint, he recovered to take command at 35-37. At halftime the score was 39-39, so everything was going to remain very open.
In the third quarter, Class was a praetorian guard on defense. It was the team that sacrificed itself at the back for much of the season. With Da Silva off and loaded with personnel, Tomaic took over in the fight under the rings, also contributing with points. Without forgetting Uclés, who with a triple made the score 50-43, forcing Alcoba to stop the match again. Uclés continued hammering the visiting ring from the outside and the man from Almería dressed as a leader to support his team. The fireworks was the triple on Aleix Haro’s horn to close the period with a +17 for the Ibizans (65-48).
If Sant Antoni played intelligently, the victory and the pass would stay at home. But Portmany’s team had a major blackout at the beginning of the last quarter, and Enrique Soler saw a gap for a comeback. With a partial score of 0-10, the score went to 65-58. They had to suffer a little more, but Sant Antoni knew how to manage the last minutes very well to win.
Uclés and Grimau, with 19 points each, were the lieutenants of a Sant Antoni that continues in the fight. On the visiting side, Ezequiel Herrera was the top scorer with 17 points. This Sunday the next rival of Class will be known. Dreaming is still free in Sant Antoni.
2024-04-20 21:46:14
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