2017 Liga Sudamericana Semi Final Group F Full Report
This year's Liga Sudamericana continues to produce more exciting and unpredictable basketball of the highest quality, as was seen in this, the second and final semi final phase of the competition.
The competition returns to a destination followers of South American basketball have become very familiar with - the Domo Bolivariano in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Playing in a venue that always attracts plenty of local support would surely be encouraging for Guaros de Lara, who also play domestic home games at the arena. For the remaining competitors - Quilmes de Mar del Plata of Argentina, Uruguay's Atletico Aguada and Colombian side Cimarrones - their task of making the final would be even more difficult in this ardent and unforgiving environment.
Aguada had some good looks early on in the first game, though it was essentially all Quilmes. Anthony Danridge tried to get Aguada back into the game with some smooth inside play and a big defensive effort, while a similar effort from Jeremis Smith on the defensive boards saw him end the game with a double-double, 10 points and 10 rebounds. Quilmes’s shooters were rampant, though, with ten three-pointers in the game and knocking down more than 60% of their outside looks. Emiliano Basebe and Omar Canton were stand outs for Quilmes on offence as they easily chalked up their first win of the semi finals, 76 to 57.
This was followed by a tight opening quarter between Guaros de Lara and Cimarrones. Guaros began to pull away with some hot three-point shooting. No sooner had they seemed to have the game in the bag, though, did Cimarrones instigate a comeback.
For Cimarrones, Michaell Jackson was a powerhouse on offence with a game-high 23 points, as well as displaying some good defensive moves and combing well with Randall Carraway who, off a Jackson assist, tied the game with 1:30 to go. Guaros looked to have sealed the game with back-to-back threes, but Jackson responded with a three of his own, and a subsequent layup from Herman Almanza Soriana reduced the Colombian team's deficit to two with only seconds left. On Cimarrones’s last possession of the game, Jackson missed a tying shot, which Guaros collected and held on to long enough to ensure a hard-earned 83-81 victory, in which Diego Garcia had 21 points off the bench for the winning side.
The next day, Quilmes’ shooting was highly successful at the start of their game against Cimarrones. Great play inside from Eric Flor inside and equally impressive outside shooting from Ricardo Sanchez and Enzo Ruiz gave the Argentinian team the edge in the first half, though at half-time they only led by three points.
Cimarrones’ front court found ways through Quilmes’ defence, as well as the best shooting spots on the floor, which saw them stay in contention and eventually take the lead shortly after the start of the second half. Ruiz kept Quilmes alive with three pointer with just over thirty seconds left in the game to narrow the gap to three points – it would be Ruiz’s six three-pointer of the game. Cimarrones managaed possession well in the remaining time to see out a big and crucial win for them at this semi-final stage oft he competition. For Cimarrones, Luis Almanza had a double-double – 17 points and 11 rebounds – but this and Michaell Jackson’s 24 were both eclipsed by teammate Jose Rodriguez with 29.
Home side Guaros then found the first half of their game against Aguada hard going, their six-point second quarter lead was erased by good play in the paint from Aguada, led by Jeremis Smith who would finish the game with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Dwayne Curtis gave the Uruguayans their first lead of the game after half-time, but that did not last long.
Heissler Guillent would be the hero for Guaros, leading the fightback with some exemplary play in the paint – he would finish 22 points and shooting more than 75% from the field – and in the fourth quarter they held Aguada to only a handful of open looks and continued their superior shooting in the paint, where more than half their points came from. Guaros ran out winners 80 points to 67 and remained unbeaten in the group.
The final day of play began with a very close game between Aguada and Cimarrones, both teams evenly matched. Jeremis Smith was the stand-out on offence in the first half, while also shining on defence, making a monster block on Jose Rodriguez early on in the game. Aguada tried to pull away in the second half, only for Cimarrones to cut the deficit and make it a one-possession game - twice. For much of the last two minutes there was no more than two points between the teams, and the scores were tied in the final minutes. Damein Alvarez made a final foul shot for Aguada, and the team did well to protect the basket on the final play of the game, 104 to 103 - a scoreline accurately reflecting gameplay here.
Finally, Guaros de Lara and Quilmes faced off in a back-and-forth game, which had a total of thirteen lead changes. Quilmes had the biggest lead of the game, but as it got closer and closer to the business end, the scoreline became tighter and action far more tense. A five-point run from Eric Flor in the last minute made it look like Quilmes were bound for victory, only for Heissler Guillent to sink a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to tie the scores. This game's pattern continued into overtime: a tight scoreline and teams only able to gain incremental leads. The events would be decided by a late jump shot from Guillent and composed shooting from the foul line.
The home fans went crazy, as victory here also meant their team will now go on to contest the final.
Guaros de Lara will now face off against Estudiantes Cordoba in a best-of-five series to determine the winner of the 2017 Liga Sudamericana. The finals series begins on December 6th. Until then, for updates and more, visit the official Liga Sudamericana website.
