Manatee. Leigh Brown dominated the paint with a double-double of 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Mocha Explosives to a dramatic overtime victory over the Athenians of Manati by 78-74 in the sixth game of the final of the Women’s National Superior Basketball (BSNF)held at the Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu “Bincito” Coliseum.
With this victory, Las Explosivas prevented the Atenienses from winning the BSNF championship on their court, and forced a seventh and decisive match, which will be played on Sunday at the Doctor Juan A. Sánchez Acevedo Coliseum.
Hillary Martínez She was Moca’s second best scorer with 19 points. For Manatí, the best was the veteran point guard Pamela Rosadowho at 39 years old, finished with 26 points in 44 minutes, despite having to wear a protective mask due to nine stitches he received in the previous match due to a strong collision with Brown.
“We said in the last game that we were going to dress like rogues. We came here we stole and now we take the Moca series. There, it is a new game and we expect the support of all our fans,” said the leader of the Explosivas. Roberto Canadaa First Hour after the game.
“I think we were very patient. Every time they made a run, we did not despair. We knew that our moment was going to come and, in overtime, the defense was impeccable by allowing Manatí to only score six points,” he continued.
Moca imposed his physical game from start to finish as he has done throughout the postseason to overwhelm Manatí. The Athenians made only 34% of their field goals, while the Explosives converted 37%. In turn, Manatí committed 18 personal fouls. Moca, for his part, made 13.
“This is not a defeat. Sometimes it is also a lack of respect for the sport and that is something that must be evaluated. There are cameras, so there is not much to say… We demonstrated a clean and beautiful level of basketball. We have shown that in all the games. God has given us one last chance and we will take it wherever it may be. We have won victories as a visitor, so one more doesn’t make a difference,” he reacted. Michelle Gonzaleztechnique of the Athenians, in a separate article with this medium.
Rosado, for his part, pointed out that the referees are allowing the matches to escalate to an unnecessary physical level that could threaten the health of the players.
“It was too physical. I think the referees are allowing too much. There is no need for this to be happening. This has happened throughout the series.”. I think that playing basketball is the most beautiful thing, not with fists. They allow too much contact, when what we really want is to play basketball,” said the captain of the National Team.
Moca opened the scoring with a güira from Samantha Fuehring in the first seconds of the match. Both quintets spent a couple of minutes trying to find the rim without success until Fuehring scored again from the paint to increase the Explosives’ advantage. Manatí, for its part, got on the scoreboard shortly after with a triple from Rosado with 7:14 left in the first quarter.
The Mocano quintet responded with another güira, this time from Taya Corosdale, to move away 6-3. However, the Manatieño squad proceeded to go on a nine-point run that concluded with a triple by Chelsea Mitchell that forced Cañada to call technical time.
Upon returning to the court, Ashley Torres reduced Manatí’s lead with a basket behind the perimeter. Still, the Athenians remained in control and headed into the second period leading 20-11, after a long-distance bomb by Chelsea Mitchell that stirred up the “Bincito.”
Moca did not sit idly by and reduced the margin to four points (20-16) with a floater from Brown and a triple from Gabriel Ortega. India Pagán tried to stop the bleeding, but the Explosives achieved a 10-point advance to turn the score around. Manatí was in an offensive drought for almost four minutes until Mitchell visited the line of sighs after a personal foul by Torres.
However, the Athenians’ offense eventually fell into tempo and regained the narrow lead, 31-30, after Mitchell scored a mid-range jumper with 1:44 left. Immediately afterwards, Pagán and Corosdale exchanged triples and Manatí went into halftime ahead 34-33.
Rosado started the second look the same way he started the first: scoring a basket behind the perimeter. The Explosivas managed to tie the score, 37-37, with a güira from Hillary Martínez and two free throws from Brown. However, Manatí clung to the lead during the first four minutes of the third set.
Moca went ahead momentarily with a triple from Brown, with 5:46 left in the third. The Manatieño team responded with an eight-point run that ended with a triple from the captain of the National Team, which returned control of the game to Manatí 51-44 with 3:58 left.
The Athenians were ahead 53-45, but the Explosives silenced the Manatí fans with an eight-point advance that tied the game with one minute remaining.
Shortly after, Martínez sent Mitchell to the line of sighs, but the basket player from the Manatieño squad could only convert one of her two attempts. Brown took advantage of this situation and scored a mid-range shot that gave Moca the lead 55-54 at the end of the third quarter.
Martínez increased the lead to 58-54 with a triple that lifted the hundreds of Mocanos who made the trip to Manatí. Down by four points, the Athenians tied the duel after a basket by Pagán and another by Jessica Jackson with 6:26 in regulation time.
But Moca went ahead 64-58 after two straight baskets in transition and two free throws by Brown. With less than four minutes left on the clock, Kiyana McGill Jefferson kept Manatí’s hopes alive with a basket and foul, which decreased the margin to 64-61.
It was at the most crucial moment of the game when Rosado seemed to turn back time and scored six consecutive points that gave the Athenians back the lead 67-66 with 1:26 left.
Corosdale tried to put Moca ahead with a mid-range shot, but it didn’t reach the rim. Fortunately for the Explosives, the ball fell into the hands of Fuehring, who did not waste the opportunity to put Moca up 68-67 with 1:26 in regulation time.
On the other side of the court, Rosado continued doing her thing and received a personal foul from Torres that sent her to the free throw line. The captain of the National Team made only one of two attempts with just 38 seconds on the clock. Both teams had the opportunity to take the lead in the final seconds, but their attempts failed and the sixth game of the final series went to overtime.
At the start of overtime, Corosdale put the Explosives ahead on the scoreboard, 72-68, with a free throw and a bomb from behind the arc. Jackson scored Manatí’s first in overtime, with 3:21 left, but Moca did not stop his attack in the paint and increased his lead to 75-70 after a couple of visits to the line.
Rosado kept the Athenians in the game with a güira. Martínez, on the other hand, countered with a basket and foul that put the score in favor of Moca by 78-72. The experienced point guard from Manatí continued trying to do the impossible, attacking the paint in the face of the overwhelming defense of the Explosives.
However, Manatí’s effort was enough to secure the championship at home, so now both franchises will look for the second BSNF center in their history this Sunday.
