SAN FRANCISCO DE MACORÍS.- In a packed Mario Ortega Pavilion, the Gigantes Basketball Club defeated the Metros de Santiago 95-83 this Wednesday, bringing the LNB Super League grand final, in which the Banreservas Cup is being contested, to 3-1.
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Luismal Ferreiras scored 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals, while Charles Brown Jr. also stood out with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals for a Gigantes team that moved one win away from their third championship in the first division circuit.
Francis King Fitzgerald contributed 15 in scoring, Marquis Wright 11 with 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while Stephen Zimmerman stood out with 11 points and 4 blocks. Juan Miguel Suero added 10 points and Juan Jr. Rosario 9.
For the Metros, Omar Silverio contributed 17 points and shot 6-of-10 from the field, followed by 11 units from Oliver García, 10 from Florent Thamba, and 8 with 5 rebounds and 6 assists from Jhery Matos. Juan Guerrero finished with 8 points and 6 boards.
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To win their third consecutive game of the series, the Gigantes relied on 47 percent shooting from the field. They took great advantage of the 19 turnovers by the Metros, who also shot 6-of-23 from three-point range (26%).
Despite being behind for practically the entire game, there was resistance from the Metros at the end. A jumper by Guerrero with 3:17 remaining put the yellow team within six points (79-85).
After that action, the intensity on both sides of the court was in favor of the Gigantes, first by forcing turnovers from the Metros with blocks, and second, with an accurate attack in the paint led by Ferreiras, Brown Jr., and Suero. The lead returned to double digits (91-79), and the Santiago team was unable to recover from it.
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Ferreiras led the Gigantes with 8 points and 4 rebounds in the first quarter, which was won 26-17 by the team from San Francisco de Macorís. Brown Jr. added 5 units for the team from San Francisco de Macorís, while Thamba led the Metros with 6 points.
The Giants’ defense kept the Metros at bay in the second quarter, allowing the offense to pull away. Brown Jr. and Zimmerman put on a show with long-range attacks and play near the rim, helping to complete a 12-2 rally that made the game 55-35. The first half ended 56-41.
Ferreiras and Brown Jr. scored 12 points each in the first 20 minutes of action for the Gigantes, who also had 11 points from Zimmerman. Thamba, with 8 points, and Cracknell and Silverio with 7 each, stood out for the Metros.
In the third quarter, the lead grew to 21 (62-41) after a layup by Wright with 7:48 remaining. The Metros found a rhythm that brought them within 58-67 with 2:28 left, relying on the offense of Matos and Adris De León, but the hosts closed by scoring 8 of the next 12 points, and the scoreboard read 75-62 after three periods.
The partials concluded 26-17, 30-24, 21-21 and 18-21 for the winners.
Next match
The LNB Super League Final Series will continue this Friday with the fourth game between the Metros and the Gigantes, at the Gran Arena del Cibao Oscar Gobaira at 8:00 at night.
