Spar Girona fell this Wednesday at the Príncipe Felipe Arena against Casademont Zaragoza (69-50) in the first leg of the LF Endesa semifinals. The team stayed competitive throughout the first fifteen minutes, but from the midway point of the second quarter, the home side took control of the game and Girona was unable to close the gap. The series will conclude on Sunday with the return leg at Fontajau.
With the nerves typical of a semifinal, the opening stretch of the game was marked by imprecisions from both teams, including three early turnovers by Girona and a 5-0 start for Casademont Zaragoza (three-pointer by Pueyo and a basket by Mariona, 5-0). Still, Girona stayed calm and got on the scoreboard through Pierre-Louis (5-4), with Hristova completing a 0-6 run to put the visitors ahead (5-6). Evans tied it from the free-throw line, and Zaragoza picked up momentum from the perimeter with threes from Mawuli and Pueyo (12-6). Despite the deficit, Spar stayed aggressive on offense, but Casademont held firm, and both teams scored steadily to close the first quarter (18-12). A late three-pointer from Canella, Girona’s first of the night, brought Íñiguez’s squad within three (18-15).
Despite a basket by Ainhoa, points by Nyström and Mawuli and a lack of scoring from Spar forced Girona’s coach to call a timeout three minutes into the second quarter (22-17). The instructions paid off, as Girona found offensive rhythm near the basket: a jumper from Pierre and strong finishes from Tate and Lundquist cut the lead to just two points (24-22). Cantero responded with a timeout, and out of it, Lundquist had two chances to tie it at 24, but neither shot fell. In the following possessions, Zaragoza capitalized on Girona’s foul bonus and their advantage in the paint to stretch the lead to its widest point so far (32-24). With a minute and a half left before halftime, Íñiguez called another timeout to plan the final plays. Carol hit a three, but the shot was waived off for being released late. Flores closed the half with a buzzer-beating three to give Zaragoza a 13-point lead at the break (37-24).
After halftime, Girona improved defensively, managing to limit Zaragoza’s offensive actions. However, the visitors still struggled to score, with Hristova being the only one to convert, while Mawuli added from the free-throw line (40-26). In a crucial moment, Canella broke the drought with a three, and Hristova followed it up with a 2+1 play to bring Girona within eight (40-32). Despite the 0-6 run, Hempe’s presence and Girona’s early foul trouble gave Zaragoza breathing room again. Mawuli converted both free throws to restore the lead (44-32). Casademont maintained their momentum with effective plays from Hempe and, though a Canella fast-break score gave Spar a brief spark, threes from Pueyo and Oma pushed the lead to +18 (52-34). Íñiguez called timeout to stop the run, and the quarter ended with a free throw from Tate and a layup from Oma (54-35).
With final adjustments from the bench, Spar Girona entered the last period with a renewed mindset. Despite an early basket by Oma, points from Bobi, Pierre-Louis, and a Canella three-pointer resulted in a 2-7 run (56-42). Cantero quickly stopped the game, and once again the scoring pace slowed down. Still, a three-pointer by Mané and Girona’s foul bonus midway through the quarter helped the hosts stretch the lead to 20 points (62-42). With only minutes left, a second technical foul disqualified Pierre-Louis from the remainder of the game. Shortly after, Bobi scored an impressive basket and Carol answered a Pueyo three with one of her own (66-47). In the end, Casademont Zaragoza claimed the win at the Príncipe Felipe Arena, 69-50.
