Few could suspect such a happy ending by looking at the script that the game was going through. The attack was a solar, with a very active Kamba but in fairground shotgun mode. But the real drama was behind. Llompart, rejuvenated, was a nightmare, directing perfectly and forming a great partnership with his interiors. Above, the defensive rebound was a black hole.
Despite the superiority shown by Alicante, the scoreboard never broke completely. Different individual hits prevented it. The first quarter ended eight points ahead, which were lowered to three at halftime thanks to Frey and Arteaga.
The third quarter seemed final. Alicante escaped to thirteen points ahead, pounding over and over again near the basket, and Lezkano’s men started the last quarter eleven points down (56-45).
And suddenly there was light. The OCB came out like a cyclone, focused on the defense of the pick and roll and more intense in general in all its actions. Kamba, tremendous on both sides of the court; Kabasele, very fighter under the hoops, and Meana, with clairvoyance against the opposing basket, took the equalizer to the scoreboard (61-61). From there to the end, emotion taken to the maximum expression, with the end of regulation time and the first overtime that could be chosen for anyone. Lezkano recovered everyone for the cause: Kostecka, who saw a hoop until he was eliminated; McDonnell, who displayed his intelligence; to Frey, tremendously decisive. And, of course, Arteaga. Lezkano said in the previous days that he expected the veteran to maintain the level. His answer: 23 points in 25 minutes and the decisive basket in the last gasp after a great defense that caused Alicante not to cross the opposite track in time.
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