Day of many changes for the Ourense Basketball Club. In sports and administrative matters, one and the other hand in hand gave the Ourense team the first victory in a long time to say goodbye to their fans this 2022, with an away game to go.
The Ourenses suffered the dismissal of Guillermo Arenas after the defeat at the Pumarín last weekend. Without reaction time or improvisation, the second coach, Iria Uxía Romarís, took the reins of the team, although only while the club is looking for a replacement. Despite that, with that fact the COB made history, the first LEB Oro league match with a team coached by a woman. But Romarís herself made more history on the bench, because under her leadership her team found the path to victory against San Pablo Burgos. The fourth in thirteen days of competition.
The compostelana had to her credit a piece that was key, the return of the former team captain, the guard Jhornan Zamora, who returned home for Christmas, after playing the 2015-16 and 2018-19 seasons, and gave points to her team .
With all these factors, a COB came onto the field who, without having changed the team in the first game without Arenas, was confident in his chances and it showed. This is how Fahrudin starred in the first team rush with three triples, reaping the first income of the game (14-9), but the visitors also needed the points and managed to reduce the advantage in an exchange of baskets that settled for 21-25.
If the first quarter had denoted a COB that wanted more, the second was the final test, in the paint Williams and a Zamora who came to debut in style. Together they continued to set fire to a marker that shone from the outside shot, with three-pointers from Paco del Águila and Pilepic that left a good cushion before the break and, above all, good feelings. 48-39.
After going through the changing rooms there is something that does not change: the intensity. The people from Ourense found the key and did not intend to release it. The visitors used all their weapons and entrusted themselves to Rupnik, who cut back, but not enough to stop a team that saw victory very close, reaching up to 11 points ahead in their best minutes, (58-47). Only Barrera did a little damage, 67-62.
And with everything to decide came an intense, tense, ambitious and complicated last quarter in which Burgos pressed each of his opportunities. It is true that they came out better and put a nervous team in difficulties. But the locals recovered, focused on defense and reached the last seconds in an exchange of timeouts that only caused agony in the spectator. 80-76, Burgos was asking for time, 80-79, the COB was asking for time, 81-79, Burgos’ time, 81-81, Iria Uxía Romarís’ time and extension.
With the tie, adrenaline and a lot of tension, the last five minutes of the match were played and there was no doubt; Zamora wanted to remember what it had been like in the Pazo. He threw his team on his back and based on consecutive triples, free throws and assists, Burgos only had to drain the water and accept another defeat against a COB that gave his fans a necessary joy. 95-91.
The last meeting next week and it’s time to travel. After vacation.
