A brave Penya touches the sky in Vitoria

BadalonaThe more mature version of Asisa Joventut eliminated Kosner Baskonia in the decisive quarter-final match (88-96). La Penya took advantage of their accuracy in outside shooting to book their ticket to play in the ACB League semi-finals, where Valencia Basket is already waiting. Dani Miret's brave proposal was rewarded in Vitoria, where Ricky Rubio, Ludde Hakanson, Simon Birgander, and Jabari Parker put on a show. "We had to play an excellent game and we did it," said the coach. The game had the tension and fight that the final stretch of the second match suggested the final stretch of the second match.

The home team started the decisive game on a better footing and built a seven-point lead (13-6). Asisa Joventut took a few minutes to match the rival's physical level. La Penya got a lot out of Ludde Hakanson's three-pointers and Simon Birgander's consistency to regain their usual personality. The green-and-black team used a 7-16 run to reach halftime with an advantage (38-41).

The best version of Ricky Rubio served for Joventut to build an eleven-point lead at the start of the third quarter (44-55). Paolo Galbiati introduced tactical nuances to modify his defense and try to reduce the effectiveness of La Penya. Rodions Kurucs, one of the dirtiest players in the Liga Endesa, once again heated up the game with a new unsportsmanlike foul. The green-and-black team reached the last ten minutes with an eight-point gap on the scoreboard (63-71).

Jabari Parker appeared at the start of the final period to push the Basque rival even further away (68-82). Baskonia came back from a 16-point deficit (72-88), but the Badalona team managed to maintain concentration until the end.

The semifinals will kick off this Tuesday, when Barça will host La Laguna Tenerife at the Palau Blaugrana. The other tie, between Valencia Basket and Asisa Joventut, will kick off on Wednesday.