Bàsquet Girona will face Baskonia at 7:00 PM local time (UTC+1) rather than the originally scheduled 6:00 PM slot after a storm forced the team to scrap travel plans and complete their journey to Vitoria by road.
Storm Cancellations Force Late-Night Road Trip to Zaragoza
The Girona traveling party arrived in Barcelona with the intention of catching an afternoon flight to Vitoria. Heavy rain caused persistent delays before the airline cancelled the flight outright. Without air alternatives, team officials reorganized the itinerary on the fly. The squad boarded a bus at approximately 10:45 PM and headed toward Zaragoza, where they arrived during the early morning hours and spent the night.
Lost Luggage and Rental Vans Complicate Morning Arrival
Transportation hurdles multiplied when airline handlers lost a portion of the team’s equipment and luggage at the airport. The setback forced team manager Pau Robert and general manager Xus Escosa to stay behind in Barcelona while the players continued onward. By morning, the club recovered most of the missing gear. Robert and Escosa rented a van to carry the remaining supplies across the final stretch of highway so the roster had everything necessary before warm-ups.
Bàsquet Girona Requests Later Start for Player Recovery
Faced with the disrupted schedule, Bàsquet Girona requested an 8:00 PM start time to give players adequate rest after a grueling night on the road. The opposing clubs and league organizers ultimately settled on a compromise at 7:00 PM. While the club acknowledged the willingness of officials to adjust the tip-off, management noted that an 8:00 PM slot would have provided a much-needed recovery window. The morning travel also wiped out the team’s customary morning shootaround.
Prioritizing the Match Over Postponement
Despite the cascade of travel complications, Girona prioritized playing the fixture to avoid a formal postponement. The club publicly thanked Casademont Zaragoza for assisting the stranded delegation in securing a hotel after the airline grounded their flight. The squad completed the final kilometers to the arena by road ahead of the revised evening tip-off.
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