Covirán Granada can be a team in the Endesa League next Friday after Movistar Estudiantes’ defeat this Sunday against Zunder Palencia (71-73). They only have to beat Almansa, who must certify their permanence: the Andalusians take a victory advantage plus the average over the schoolboys with only two games to go. The accounts are clear.
Estu fell against Palencia because he didn’t know how to play correctly, simply correctly, without fanfare, in the final moments. When the wind was blowing better, with a rival completely unhinged with the referees (rightly, wrongly, with too much aggressiveness in their protests) they did not certify the death of their rival. Five-point leads in the fourth quarter that melted like snow against a supersonic Ali (22 points), multiple wasted attacks in the final stretch and, above all, iron fist from the personal: 11 of 21. Dee missed one of the three he had in the absence of 3 seconds to tie the duel. Incredible, but without news on the front: that’s how they lost against Granada in the League.
The start was away, they took the helm of the match from the initial jump and did not lose it in the first half, with advantages that reached +12 (13-25) and never fell below +4. It was an exercise in physical superiority, speed in transitions due to the rebound and losses of his enemy (7 in the first quarter) and an orderly attack that undid the local defense: 25 goals in the first quarter with a superb 11 of 17 in field goals.
The schoolboys couldn’t find the emergency brake. The attacks, although inefficient (5 out of 12), were well crafted. The triple, a slab (5 of 14). The real problem was defense. Alone she couldn’t with Speight or with Ali, who flew with streaks back and forth, and 10 points at halftime. Mud and Fall outnumbered Larsen in the area. Dos Anjos did a better survival exercise.
Students had to wait for the second quarter to settle down (only two losses in that period) and patiently bite the difference in the scoreboard, but they always stayed on the edge: every time the opportunity was golden, Palencia paddled , who reached the break 6 up (36-42).
The second part gave wings to the schoolboys, who struggled not to get nervous: the comeback would come. So it was. Zunder decided to hang himself in innocuous protests, that he was not going anywhere to give five free throws to Nacho Martín. Four inside and 57-55. Ahead on the scoreboard and the board on the waves without resistance. But Ali arrived, the problems from the personnel and the ticket to the playoff.