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The derby is home

Successful weekend in Fontajau. After a day marked by the victory of Básquet Girona on Saturday, Spar Girona put the finishing touches yesterday by beating Barça CBS in a hard-fought game that ended up being resolved thanks to the stellar appearance of Shay Murphy (16 points ) at the end of the third quarter. The American raised the 4,324 spectators in the pavilion with a three-pointer over the horn from midcourt at the end of the third quarter that broke the tie (48-45) and was the spark of a sensational partial 10 -1 at the start of the last ten minutes when the escort offered their best version. She assessed it herself in statements after the duel: “I don’t like to lose and even less to do it three times against the same team”.

With the last-minute absence of Rebekah Gardner, who suffered from a sore left shoulder after taking a hit in the last Euroleague duel against Familia Schio, Brittney Sykes (15 points) also a step forward, especially in the defensive section where he intelligently used his physicality to intimidate in the area.

Barça CBS had become Uni’s black beast this year. Pre-season, the Catalan League and the Endesa Women’s League had been the scene of single defeats for the Girona team against the Blaugrana team. Given the antecedents, the meetings between both teams have become a very interesting derby, and the players showed it as soon as they stepped on the floor. Isaac Fernández’s players went all out and after three minutes they overturned Drammeh’s initial triple with a partial run by Jolene Anderson and Marta Canella (3-10). Bernat Canut got up from his chair quickly to ask for more intensity from his players. María Araújo and Marianna Tolo heard him and reacted to close the gap and put their team back in the game. Laura Cornelius sealed the comeback with a triple that tied the score. A basket by Shay Murphy in extremis allowed the locals to close the first round with an advantage (20-16). Three minutes of doubts in attack forced Isaac Fernández to stop the game. Rakovic was a headache for the Spar defense and allowed Barça to take the initiative again (26-30). The visitors gained confidence and reached the break with a +4 on the scoreboard (31-35).

After the break, the scoring block took its toll on both teams. After five minutes of play only two baskets had been scored and it seemed that both teams had been numbed. Fontajau became a pressure cooker and losses began to abound (35-39). Marianna Tolo (13 points) appeared in the low post to wake up her team and Brittney Sykes tied the game (39-39), each basket was fought as if it were the last. In the last gasp, Shay Murphy revived the stands with a three-pointer over the horn (48-45) that allowed him to catch air.

She herself propelled a 10-1 run overflowing with confidence from every pore of her skin. The local team asserted itself and placed the maximum difference in the score thanks to Sykes (62-48) who took over from his compatriot. Girona knocked out the Blaugranas who, despite trying to come back with two triples from Ainhoa ​​López, succumbed.

The win allows Spar to take a breather before hosting Kangoeroes Mechelen on Wednesday in a new round of the Euroleague. Girona, who lost in their visit to Belgium in the first leg, must win if they want to keep their chances of being among the top four in Group B alive. It remains to be seen if the change of coach at Perfumerías Avenida it has an impact on the performance of the Castilian team, a direct rival in this same group. Be that as it may, the players can celebrate that yesterday, finally, the derby stayed in Fontajau.

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