Monday, October 14, 2024, 11:00 p.m.
The second semifinal of the Final Four of basket punta was a poisoned candy for Erkiaga and Basque. They were the two most consistent strikers, each in their position, of the season in the Jai Alai League and they faced the fourth-placed players, Barandika and López, who were on the verge of not being a couple because the Zumaia defender did not qualify until the last day, but they form a fearsome combination. And the one from Gernika and the one from Gipuzkoa will play the ultimate clash after winning it hard this Monday at the Durango fronton. They offered a seamless version that ended up making Erkiaga desperate and subduing his defender.
On a field with the dimensions of Ezkurdi, finding a space was an odyssey for Ispaster’s player, while the winners took out the scalpel to slowly dissect the Basque-French defense by charging behind. Erkiaga has rarely been seen in such a state on a court, to the point of losing the last three balls of the second set when they almost had it in their hand. The magician did not have his night, but the background work of his rivals was impeccable.
The one from Gernika seemed especially engaged throughout the entire match. He was in no hurry. He was attentive to help his teammate with great defense, he finished the opportunities he had well and was the most consistent of the four protagonists. López was comfortable behind for many minutes, synonymous with the fact that they had the match quite under control.
They made it clear in the first set that their rivals were going to need all their resources to find spaces. In a game that went from less to more, they knew how to move perfectly. After a few first moments of scoring in which errors on both sides prevailed, they began to break up the game by insisting on putting the ball back to nullify Ispaster’s forward. Well positioned on the court, they began to generate doubts in their opponents because they managed to put the ball between them.
To highlight the two right walls of the Gipuzkoan from the tenth box, and the ball that Barandika scored in the width after letting it pass between his legs to respond to a side cut by Erkiaga. The goal ended up falling on the opposite side, but it was a symptom of how involved he was in the clash. The defeated team came back to lead 11-12, but the game escaped them due to their own errors (11-15).
Greased his side
In the second, the intensity increased. Erkiaga started like a shot. He greased his side to run over his rivals. Basque followed him (8-4). But the ball they were playing with broke and Ispaster’s ball deflated. Their rivals maintained their performance to begin the comeback and tie at ten. The defeated did the rest and finally generated some doubt in Barandika and López. They came within a goal of taking the second set and playing it all or nothing (14-11), but this time the risks taken by Erkiaga did not bear fruit (14-15).
