Baskonia returned to the Copa del Rey after two years of absence. to knock down (91-81) the always orderly La Laguna Tenerife, who tried until the end despite having been left without their idol Marcelinho Huertas.
La Laguna Tenerife came out onto the Roig Arena floor, a tremendous waste of decibels, as if a tooth had been pulled. How must it feel, if not, a team that has lost along the way Marcelinho Huertas, its guide, this time injured. That was his first challenge, I relive since the Lombard Paolo Galbiati moved in front of the bench. Another coach with a taste for high tempo and short attacks.
A kind of poetic justice leveled the quarterfinal tie when Markus Howard left the court, just a minute and a half into the game, with two fouls in his pocket. Tenerife continued to do its thing, with its patient and balanced game, order always in the face of chaos, with the idea of trying to prosper in the Cup despite missing its leader.
TLC, a star disguised as a substitute, heightened the feeling of Tenerife vulnerability. Just his way of closing the first quarter, with a long three-pointer and the hesitant gesture towards the stands, was already a blow to the liver of Txus Vidorreta, dedicated to the task of convincing his boys that yes, it was possible to vibrate in the Roig Arena, where every Cup day is a Saturday. But his rival continued to grow, also driven by Diakité, and that act of faith was not easy. After a two plus one from TLC, La Laguna Tenerife (36-21) was heard cracking like broken glass.
Shermadini understood that he needed to carry the team on his back or they could be dropped prematurely. But Baskonia’s good shooting percentages complicated their purpose. The Vitorano team was around 50% from both two and three while Laguna Tenerife did not reach 40% success and on top of that they went to halftime (45-33) without smelling an offensive rebound.
Vidorreta’s team faltered and Baskonia recovered Howard to try to finish them off. But after the maximum advantage (49-33) for the team that had been out of the Cup for two editions, the expected island reaction came with a 5-20 partial that once again balanced the match. The sober direction of Jaime Fernández and the aim of Bruno Fitipaldo and Thomas Scrubb allowed them to correct their shortcomings – improvement in rebounding and shooting accuracy – to once again look Baskonia in the eye (54-53).
The clock was ticking and La Laguna Tenerife, in tow all afternoon, could not catch Galbiati’s team. Until Jaime Fernández, clairvoyant throughout the second half, who did not hesitate even when he saw a trail of blood falling down his forehead, broke Howard’s waist and signed a short-lived tie (66-66) that allowed his teammates to believe again. They were in the Cup, a tournament that had always been favorable to them and where they have the good habit of visiting the semifinals.
The score was like a warning for Baskonia. Galbiati’s team got the message instantly. The last quarter does not allow jokes. Those minutes, when hearts pick up speed, are the ones that people like Markus Howard or Trent Forrest love. It’s time to show that they are special. And his play, his points, lit up the throats of the Baskonia fans, for too long in silence. They were missed. The Cup is less of a Cup without the Vitoria classic.
