Author: Monojit Mandal
Franca 92 – 68 São Paulo
The Pedroco gymnasium was packed as the Franca fans waited for another golden moment. Franca ended their season on a strong note, beating São Paulo by a dominant 92-68 scoreline. Franca are now two-time champions of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB).
The game started evenly, but it was São Paulo who took the lead, scoring in the first 15 seconds. The Franca players had some time to find their rhythm, but managed to make their first basket after a minute and a half.
However, the tide began to turn when Franca took advantage of a chance, taking the ball away from their opponents and increasing their motivation. The team from Francia made a surprising comeback in the middle of the first quarter, ending up with a substantial 27-13 lead, the biggest gap of the game so far.
The fervent Franco fans experienced some nervous moments in the second quarter. São Paulo came out strong and started to score. After just seven minutes, coach Helinho Garcia called a time-out to gather his players. The hosts responded quickly, with Georginho stealing the ball in the opponent’s court, running towards the basket and giving a fantastic pass to Jonathan Luz, who easily scored two points. Georginho continued to amaze, stealing the ball from his opponent’s court and making a spectacular dunk, increasing the Francos’ lead even further.
However, one shot in particular brought the whole crowd to its feet. After a São Paulo rebound, Franca’s defense was late, leaving Georginho facing four players from the capital. Georginho grabbed the rebound and quickly located Lucas Mariano under the basket, culminating in a thunderous shot that sent the crowd into delirium, increasing the score to 37-25.
Despite São Paulo’s efforts to close the gap, Helinho’s team ended the first half of the Grand Final with a comfortable lead, going into the locker room with a score of 45-34. At the start of the third quarter, the team from the capital continued to score, but Franca kept the lead.
Franca left their mark on NBB history once again with their impressive performance, securing their consecutive championship title. Players and spectators alike will no doubt be celebrating this tremendous victory in the coming days.