The cupbearer’s dream CB Starlabs Morónwho had earned the right to be in the quarterfinals and play a single game and at home the possibility of qualifying for the Final Four, vanished this Wednesday in the Alameda pavilion … after being defeated with the Flexicar Fuenlabrada in a duel that the Aruncitans dominated until the end of the third quarter (62-60) and only let escape in the last, due to a partial 16-23 that ended his run in the tournament.
A trajectory of which the Morón team can feel very proud, both for its group stage and for the qualifying rounds won, both at home, against the Coto Córdoba and the Melilla City of Sportsbut also for this honorable defeat against Fuenlabrada, which is not going through its best moment but is a team from a higher category (First FEB) and is always a contender for promotion to return to the ACB.
Morón’s eight triples and 14 points Hello Maríntheir most unbalanced player, marked the match at halftime, with José Antonio Santaella’s men leading with a minimal advantage on the scoreboard (40-37). That Fuenlabrada would have to sweat, a lot, to beat a Second FEB rival was taken for granted and that is how events were taking place. Vitor Benite then contributed 10 points for Fuenlabrada who had a hard time taking control of the match. He didn’t do it either in the third quarter despite the 22-23 score in that segment (62-60 overall). He had to wait until the last one.
Morón recovered from a partial score of 0-6 (72-74) with four points in a row from Alo Marín, but between Mateo Díaz and the Renfroe and DeBisschop connectionthe other two former Verdiblancos of the four that make up the Fuenlabrada squad, put the locals on the ropes, who at 76-83 with a basket from Benite no longer found a solution with less than a minute remaining. Alo Marín, with 20 points, and Zion Williams, with 10, were the top scorers for Morónwho scored almost 50% of his three-pointers (14/29).
In Fuenlabrada, directed by Iñaki Martin (former assistant to Bruno Savignani at Betis Baloncesto) the 21 points of Mateo Diazthe 17 of Benite and DeBisschop (10 rebounds and 30 PIR) and Renfroe’s 13. The other former Betis Basketball player, Kasibbabubarely scored a point. With a venue yet to be determined, the Final Four of the Spanish Cup already has semifinals: Fuenlabrada will face Palencia and Estudiantes will face Ourense on January 23. Morón, for its part, is now focusing on the league, where this Saturday (6 p.m.) the second round begins, hosting the Jaén Interior Paradise.
