Defeat of the people of Tenerife against Hapoel from Jerusalem (68-69)
MADRID, 12 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Lenovo Tenerife has been left out of the Basketball Champions League final this Friday due to their 68-69 defeat against Hapoel Jerusalem, in a match with a heart attack and crowned with a triple missed on the buzzer by the point guard Uruguayan Bruno Fitipaldo.
In the José María Martín Carpena Pavilion in Málaga, Fitipaldo had the opportunity in his last possession to put the Tenerife team in the final appointment to lift the trophy, in search of what would have meant the second consecutive Basketball Champions League title for his club.
But his forced shot beyond the arc, from a pass from Marcelinho Huertas from the bottom line, crashed into the ring and cut short that dream of the defending champion. The move seemed designed so that Giorgi Shermadini received the ball inside the ‘paint’, with a view to squeezing a resource that had already worked throughout the match.
Not in vain, Txus Vidorreta’s pupils had already scored thirty points in this way. So the plan was clear and Marcelinho knew it, in full offensive turmoil. The Brazilian point guard, two weeks away from his 40th birthday, had led his team’s comeback in the last quarter and wanted the icing on the cake with a successful assist.
However, Hapoel’s defense against Shermadini left no gap as the final seconds ticked away beyond repair. For this reason, the veteran player from São Paulo changed his plans on the fly, executed a run until the end of the track and ‘doubled’ the ball so that Fitipaldo received in a triple position.
The Uruguayan got up quickly, but left the feat unfinished. From 37-52 midway through the third period, Lenovo went on to lead (67-63) with 47 seconds remaining. Then came the Israeli joy, first with a 3+1 from Siim-Sander Vene and then with a penetration from Khadeen Carrington for the 68-69, ultimately final.