He Valencia Basket He brought out all the virtues that have cemented his formidable season and passed over a Joventut that this time could not resist the frenetic offensive rhythm and intensity of the taronja team, again in ‘clockwork orange’ mode to reduce the effervescence of the black and green to a minimum and stay one win away from the final of the Endesa League (90-76).
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Neither Ricky Rubior, better defended than in the first game by Badio and From Larreawho this time found more help to reduce the game creation of Penya’s brain, nor parkerneither hunting They were enough to stop Valencia’s unstoppable offensive flow. Those of Pedro Martinez They found themselves comfortable carrying the game at a maddening pace that derailed a Joventut that is too individualistic when trying to hit back. It didn’t go well and it went off the rails. Almost more due to his rival’s merit than his own demerit, which there was also.
Five Taronja players in double figures
The taronjas They didn’t even need Montero, their main offensive striker, to let his hair down. It was a choral triumph for the taronjas, very dominant with five players in double figures in scoring —in La Penya only Parker (16) surpassed that barrier—, highlighting the fantastic work of Pradilla (10+3+2) and Cardenas (13), to which were added Badiobrilliant one more day and without stepping on the accelerator (16+3+3), Taylor (10) and From Larrea (10+4).
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Valencia was on notice after the scare they got in the first game and from the initial jump He wanted to make it clear to Joventut that this was not going to be repeated. To achieve this, he tied up in defense Ricky Rubiothe main green-black game generator, while Pradilla, Sako and Cárdenas They went crazy in attack to put the scoreboard in the middle (19-7, min 7). The Catalans, stuck and too individualistic, were shipwrecked by scoring only four baskets in the first act that they closed From Larrea and Pradilla with his triples (30-13, min 10).
Triples to react
Badio set a new maximum with five points (35-17) before Hunt with two triples gave air to a Penya who got into the game with other two triples from Parker (45-33, min 17). Montero and Ricky, absent until then, stretched to keep their team’s score (56-43, min 20).
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parker and Ricky kept the green and black with a thread of life in the resumption (61-47). Until Cardenas and the triples of Huntsman and Badio they gave the maximum advantage to the taronjas (71-51, min 27).
Dani Miret, Joventut coach, opted for a total catharsis by changing the five players he had on the field, and the truth is that he was about to achieve it with Hanga and Hakanson’s triples (73-59). It was a mirage because Moore and Huntsman They took away any dream of a comeback at the end of the third quarter (78-59, min 30). And there was no game in the last one.
Technical sheet:
90.- Valencia Basket (30+26+21+13): De Larrea (10), Badio (16), Montero (11), Pradilla (10), Sako (9) – starting five – Taylor (10), Cárdenas (13), Moore (2), Key (5), Sima (2) and Costello (2).
76.- Asisa Joventut (13+30+16+17): Ricky Rubio (9), Hunt (8), Hanga (8), Parker (16), Ruzic (4) – starting five – Vives (5), Drell (4), Hakanson (5), Allen (2), Morin (9), Birgander (4) and Kraag (2).
Referees: Perea, Padrós and Fernández. They eliminated the local Cárdenas due to five fouls (m.35).
Incidents: second match of the Endesa League semi-final played at the Roig Arena in València in front of 13,730 spectators. Before the start of the meeting, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the recently deceased Eduardo Portela, former president of the ACB.
