Valencia Basket sweeps towards the semi-finals in Miribilla

Valencia Basket defeated Surne Bilbao Basket (71-88) this Friday to reach the semifinals of the Endesa League with a 0-2 score in their quarterfinal playoff against the Basque team, won at home and with authority in the Bilbao Arena.

Pedro Martínez’s men, finalists last year, advanced with authority to the penultimate round, where they will face Asisa Joventut or Kosner Baskonia. From the beginning, the ‘taronja’ team prevailed in both attack and defense and in the third quarter it was the final blow, where they managed to gain 25 points.

Neal Sako (18 rating), Nate Reuvers (18), Kameron Taylor, Jean Montero and Jaime Pradilla were a tsunami in Miribilla, to extend Valencia Basket’s historic season, after playing in its first Euroleague ‘Final Four’, and ending Bilbao’s, which sneaked into the ‘Playoffs’ on the last day and was proclaimed two-time European champion a month ago with its second consecutive FIBA ​​Europe Cup.

The return of an ACB playoff eleven years later motivated Mirbilla, but Valencia prevented excessive boiling with a strong start and a cushion that had nothing to do with the epic comeback that occurred at 1-0. With good ball circulation and a choral success, the scoreboard smiled at the visitors, despite the streak that Stefan Lazarevic found and the points from Darrun Hilliard.

Pedro Martínez’s team had much more resources and, in the second quarter, they also scored three-pointers to lead 34-44 at halftime. Surne Bilbao, with some success as well, stayed on the wire thanks to the rebound, but after passing through the locker room, the ‘taronja’ fuse continued to light and spread to each player.

The script was clarified with the forcefulness of a Valencia that even recovered the rebound to run and gain the maximum advantage in each attack. Furthermore, Jaume Ponsarnau’s team suffered in their scoring dropper against the defense of the league champion in 2017. In search of their second title, with the same coach, the Valencian team did not take their foot off the accelerator until +25 (46-71).

Hilliard’s solitary triple or Tryggvi Hlinason’s seven points barely tickled an opponent with multiple weapons. The ‘men in black’ did not know where to stop the hemorrhage that reached 28 points in favor of the visitors. Miribilla paid tribute to the heroes of its beautiful campaign and Valencia Basket was able to do so thinking about the challenge of returning to the Endesa League final.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: SURNE BILBAO BASKET, 71 – VALENCIA BASKET, 88. (37-47, at halftime).

–TEAMS.

SURNE BILBAO BASKET: Normantas (5), Frey (6), Hilliard (10), Krampelj (11) y Hlinason (10) –quinteto inicial– Pantzar (4), Jaworski (6), Bagayoko (4), Petrasek (-), Lazarovic (9), Font (6).

VALENCIA BASKET: Montero (9), Badio (10), Taylor (15), Pradilla (4) and Sako (11) –starting quintet– Reuvers (14), Moore (10), De Larrea (6), Key (4), Sima (2), Cárdenas (3).

–PARTIALS: 16-22, 21-25, 12-24, 22-17.

–REFEREES: Caballero, Olivares and Fernández Carretero. No eliminated.

–PAVILLION: Bilbao Arena.