As if it were a horror movie in two installments, Básquet Girona has added a second humiliating defeat at home, after the one experienced 15 days ago in Vitoria. Aíto’s men had moments of good basketball in the second quarter and it seemed that they would reach the break with real options to compete in the match, but a noisy second half and with an image that is difficult to justify leaves the team in a borderline situation, not so much anymore at the classification level because there are more than two thirds of the season left, but above all in the mental aspect.
Girona jumped into La Fonteta without complications and dominated the first few beats thanks to the young couple formed by Hanzlík and Prkacin. In defense, the Girona players closed in below and Valencia practically only scored 3. Now it was Figueras who added in attack and the Girona players achieved a hopeful 8 to 12, a difference that could have been greater if Taylor had not missed an open triple. From there, the Valencians began to carburate in attack and with a partial 14 to 2 in the second half of the quarter escaped by 8 points (22-14), a disadvantage that could have been even greater if those from the Túria capital would not have forgiven in a clear situation on the counterattack and from the free kick line. Aíto’s had problems stopping the local transitions and in the offensive area there were the usual problems in the outside launch, with shots executed with an excess of anxiety.
The second period began with more positive feelings for Básquet Girona, which, as in the first quarter, put up a zonal defense that made Valencia hesitate, too dependent on the success of 3 if it could not add in transition or counterattack. In addition, Girona found clear situations to score and was only 4 points (24-20), thanks to Gasol’s first points from the line, reserved on the bench after charging very quickly with two fouls. But a great Rivero, who scored comfortably both near the basket and from beyond the 6.75, forced the Aíto team to row again (33-24). And they recovered, thanks to a very complicated basket by Taylor and a three-pointer by Colom, together with the Valencian mishap caused by the zonal defense raised by the Madrid coach of Básquet Girona (36-34). It was important to consolidate this trend before the break, but a few absurd errors in attack gave wings to a Valencia that now recovered success from the perimeter. At halftime, they were again in the lead (45-36).
The passage through the changing rooms did not sit very well with Girona, who saw how a Valencia with more offensive fluidity added comfortably, as Aíto’s men paid dearly for losing the ball. Jones and Puerto starred in a painful partial 9 to 2 to establish a considerable difference (54-38). The Girona team tried to stay in the game with timely actions from Taylor and Miletic, but the tone was clear local dominance and in the following minutes, Àlex Mumbrú’s team took charge of squandering any slightest Girona hope. Fjellerup erred in a bad selection, and Prepelic crossed the court like an exaltation to find Ferrando open in the triple, which would not fail. It was any play of the match but it exemplified perfectly what the third quarter was like. An aimless Girona in attack allowed Valencia to execute transitions at pleasure, which they also launched with great confidence from the perimeter. Aíto asked for two timeouts to try to somehow stop the bleeding, but the dejected attitude and with a certain passotism of his players did not help at all. The difference at the end of the third quarter was scandalous, with a shocking 34 to 9 score, and the disaster of two weeks ago in Vitoria was repeated (79-45).
Things could hardly have gone any worse in the final quarter, but the start was once again disastrous, and at times it even looked like those from the capital of Túria could reach an outrageous 50-point lead, boosted by a whopping 20/ 38 in triples. A final score of 6 to 0 by Girona made up the result but not the bad image and the feeling of fragility and helplessness transmitted by the team.
