Author: Monojit Mandal
Minas 91 – 95 Franca
The Franca basketball team defeated Minas in a thrilling game, bringing them closer to the final of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). The suspense game of the semi-final was played at the UniBH Arena in Belo Horizonte, where Franca won 95-91 and regained the lead in the best-of-five series.
Despite a great start from Minas, who led by 13 points at one point, Franca made an incredible comeback. The game came to a climax when power forward Lucas Mariano made a layup with just two seconds remaining, leveling the score at 91-91 and giving Franca a crucial victory.
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Franca dominated the opening game of the semi-finals, winning 112-98. The match, which took place on Friday 13th, was held at Pedroco in São Paulo. Minas, on the other hand, reacted strongly in the second game, winning 103-89 at home last Tuesday.
The clubs will meet again for the fourth leg of the semi-finals on Sunday at 7.30pm at Pedroco in Franca. If necessary, the decisive fifth match will also be played in São Paulo. The winner of this series will play in the NBB final against São Paulo.
The first quarter of the game was hotly contested, with Franca taking the lead early on. The team managed to gain a big lead before being overtaken by Minas, who ended the session with a small advantage, 24-23.
Minas dominated the second quarter, with playmaker Alexey Borges leading the club to a 13-point lead. Franca faltered in defense, allowing their opponents to take a comfortable 48-40 lead.
During the break, Franca regrouped and pivot Lucas Mariano took the lead, dominating his team’s comeback. In the fourth quarter, they made a remarkable comeback and managed to close the gap to 71-68 in the last minutes of the game, but Minas tied the score with a three-pointer from forward Shaquille Johnson Sr.
Both teams made mistakes with just two seconds left on the clock. However, pivot Lucas Mariano took advantage of the situation and scored a layup to put Franca ahead 93-91. Minas lost to Franca, 95-91, as they failed to take advantage of their last possession after making a mistake on a side kick.