San Martín and Belgrano de Santiago made their absolute debut in the Federal League with a great game. The victory was taken by the Tucumans by 85-79 in the supplementary.
The Federal League 2023 started and it could not be in the best way. Province of Tucumán, field of the Barrio Jardín club, where San Martín received Belgrano BBC, from Santiago del Estero, for the NOA Regional Zone. Both sets made their absolute debut in the category. Therefore, the seasoning of the historic night was added from the start.
With the initial jump, San Martín came out with impetus, as if wanting to show that they were locals, in a small stadium, but which was soon filled with fans, to the point that they complicated the transmissions of the game. However, minutes later, Belgrano took control of the game, and although he started losing, he took the first period managing the rhythms.
The second and third quarters were pretty similar. Although both teams are characterized by a very intense game, the cast from Santiago was the one who marked the times. Long possessions, but with a lot of movement, while the local tried to generate quick attacks, but was inaccurate most of the night.
The team led by Guillermo Aliende did not have big differences on the scoreboard, but they knew how to keep a small distance for most of the match. However, the only flaw, and they ended up paying dearly, was that they were very erratic with their medium and long distance shots. Although in the first periods they corrected it with offensive rebounds, by the end the luck changed.
In the last period, perhaps Belgrano suffered the fatigue typical of a great effort, or the “Saint” was pushed by the breath of his people, but the place was getting closer and closer, and the people of Santiago gradually lost that calm they had showed during the rest of the game to stay on top. San Martín had a hard time getting to a double, since he wasted most of his rival’s losses. But the spirit of never giving up allowed those led by “Francis” Ruíz tie with 4 seconds to go. 72 matched said the clock and the heart-stopping closing had an extra chapter.
By overtime, muscle fatigue took an important player from each team. On the side of the visit, “Maxi” Canavo, their top scorer, while in San Martín it was Ignacio Palavecino, key in the comeback. The last five minutes were not only a test of physical resistance, but also weighed more heavily on the head. Those from Santiago, beaten because the victory slipped out of their hands, and the locals, encouraged by the agonizing draw and their fans.
Santiago Del Sastre put the Tucumans ahead with his third triple (the power forward totaled 27 points with four shots of three included), and from there, history was sentenced. For Belgrano it was a memorable night, because they really lived up to it, but for San Martín, the memory will remain an epic night.
Source: San Martín de Tucumán Press.
