A magical night. An achievement forever. A memory that started in a schoolyard and ended in a too small Gran Canaria Arena. And exactly in the year that the Gran Canaria Basketball Club celebrates its 60th anniversary. The yellow team reached heaven after beating Turkish Turk Telekom Ankara 71-67 in the EuroCup final and taking the first European victory in its history. The Gran Canaria Basketball Club, which featured Andrew Albicy, AJ Slaughter, Nicolás Brussino, John Shurna and Olek Balcerowski in the starting five, stepped on the accelerator from the first bars to impose its law in a packed Gran Canaria Arena and dreamed of clinching the first continental title in its history (9-2, min. 2). Turk Telekom, however, entrusted Bouteille and Taylor to show their credentials and turn the score around in a frantic final start (9-10). Claretian foreign success – four out of four in triples – made the difference to regain control of the game (19-12, min. 6). Albicy directed and turned into insular delight. Grant’s explosiveness and the demanding defense of Turk Telekom Ankara at the end of the game predicted a brutal battle in an impregnable fortress (24-18). The snipers Slaughter and Brussino led a plethora of Granca from the outside – six of eight in triples – at the end of the first company (29-23). Imperial Shurna The yellow team was full of fouls and Lakovic had to move his pieces with more continuity. Two points from silent leader Shurna placed maximum income in the continental gimp battle (31-22). Gran Canaria, with its solid version in a vibrant Arena, struck from the outside with Shurna (37-24, min. 13). The North American interior extended the Claretian state of grace by 11 points (40-24). The Slaughter-Balcerowski Polish connection hit Ottoman morale midway through the second period (44-24). Slaughter -12 points- loved himself with a repertoire of fundamentals full of talent (46-24). Turk Telekom, with two consecutive triples from Bouteille, breathed to try to get into the fight and forced Lakovic to request a timeout to avoid any hint of reaction. The Frenchman continued to go by gallons (46-32). But Granca was determined not to give up and not miss the chance to win a continental scepter in front of their fans. A basket from Albicy ended an excellent first half (50-33). After going through the changing rooms, the script didn’t change too much, with a Gran Canaria Basketball Club hungry for glory and a Turk Telekom Ankara outdone by their rival’s success and intensity. A triple by Brussino -11 runs- brought the yellow dream closer (53-33). The Argentinian exterior was relentless in attack but also neutralized the Bouteille effect, the visitors’ main means of scoring in this game. Jones pressed high to find the feat. Turk Telekom intensified the defense to the limit, but it was not enough to lower the psychological barrier of ten points (55-41, min. 25). However, Grant contributed to Jones’ success in preventing an early celebration and sending a message of optimism to the island’s 150 Turkish fans, forcing Lakovic to stop play to bring his players together (55 -43). Partial 2-14 and Albicy in control Gran Canaria was not comfortable, losing freshness and sharpness in decision making, which Erdem Can’s squad took advantage of to sharpen the electronics of the Siete Palmas venue (55-47). Nervousness set in for minutes, but the French connection Albicy-Inglis broke through to restore peace (60-47). What a 2+1 from Albicy! The wrist was beautiful. The foreign success went to the French side, strengthening the Claretian advantage at the end of the third act (61-55). Ten minutes of suffering remained. A triple by Inglis caused the necessary decibels in the Gran Canaria Arena (64-57). You could see the pressure and the end of a final. Forty minutes to register your name at the top of this edition of the EuroCup. A basket from Grant caused even more madness (64-62, min. 35). Gran Canaria was against the ropes and showed no signs of life. Shurna of my life Shurna, always Shurna, was right from the outside to free Granca (67-62). The Arena squeezed beautifully when their team needed it most. Albicy multiplied on both sides of the track to stroke the glory, but the final blow was missing with 48 seconds left. And it so happened that the Arena will burst with happiness. Gran Canaria is European champion and is invited to the next Euroleague on its own merit.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
