20 January, 2017
18 March
2 Maximo Fjellerup (ARG), 20 Fermin Thygesen (ARG), 22 Ariel Ramos (ARG)
15/03/2017
Review
to read

Review: Bahia Basket went from Final4 dreamer to title contender

BARQUISIMETO (DIRECTV Liga de las Americas Final4) – With great performances and an amazing come from behind win, Bahia Basket achieved a dream and accessed the Final4 of the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas 2017.

Bahía Basket started the 2017 edition of the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas as part of Group D in Ponce, Puerto Rico and won its preliminary group with a 3 - 0 record.

The second place of the DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana 2016 found wins against Cocodrilos de Caracas (Venezuela), Academia la Montaña (Colombia) and host Leones de Ponce (Puerto Rico).

The group started with a great and intense match between Weber Bahía Basket and Cocodrilos de Caracas. The Argentine club opened with a first half of 27-19 and maintained their advantage before a Cocodrilos that showed great defensive passages in the second and third quarter. Bahia got rid of an overtime after the Venezuelans could not capitalize on the final possession. Juan Pablo Vaulet (18 points and 8 rebounds) and Anthony Johnson (14 points and 8 rebounds) led Weber Bahía in the 77-75 win.

The Argentineans dominated Academia la Montaña to a 94-67 victory in their second match of the group. The contributions of the substitutes was key in the victory with 46 points against only 19 of the Colombian club. Once again, Johnson was decisive with 22 points and 5 rebounds in the win.

In the last game of the Group Stage, there was a duel of unbeaten when Bahia faced the hosts Leones de Ponce in a dramatic encounter. It was a close match in which both teams exchanged advantages behind big individual performances. For Leones, the start was given by the hand of Carlos Arroyo, who scored 12 points in the first quarter. For Bahia, the trio of Lucio Redivo, Vaulet and Johnson and an efficient offensive execution kept them in the game. In the third quarter appeared the figure of Angel Daniel Vassalló with 13 points and then in the fourth quarter with the basket that sent the game overtime.

In the overtime, Anthony Johnson was dominant in the paint and Bahia got the victory by a score of 96-92. Johnson finished with 22 points and 7 rebounds in the victory, while, for the Leones de Ponce, Vassallo shined with 34 points and 7 rebounds. Both teams qualified for the Semi-Final Phase.

Bahia then returned to Ponce, Puerto Rico to be part of the Second Semifinal Group.

In their first game of the Semifinal Phase, Bahia faced the Leones de Ponce in a rematch from the first phase of competition. Leones led the game early and captured the victory 95 - 82. Víctor Liz led the offensive of the hosts with 21 points and was decisive for a team that was ahead on the scoreboard for much of the game. As usual, Lucio Redivo demonstrated his offensive repertoire and commanded the attack of Bahia with 28 points.

The team coached by Sebastián Ginobili recovered from the defeat suffered in the first day, with a victory against San Lorenzo. From the hands of Lucio Redivo, the Bahians found themselves early in the game and began to move away on the scoreboard. Bahia continued adding and took 20 points of difference to take the victory 89 - 69.

The Bahians needed a victory against Hebraica Macabi to secure their qualification to the Final4 and they did so in a masterly way. The Bahian quintet recovered from a slow start and came back from a 21-point difference in the second half to defeat Hebraica 73-69. The additions of Lucio Redivo, Maximo Fjellerup and center Anthony Johnson, who had a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds, were crucial for Bahía's aspirations. Bahia Basket earned the qualification for the Final4 for the first time.

Now the team from Bahia will travel to Barquisimeto, Venezuela to face the Final4 of the continental league. The team will have to defeat Fuerza Regia to access the championship game.

The Final4 of the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas will be played on March 17 and 18.

The Liga de las Americas is broadcast through DIRECTV (América), Punto2 (Puerto Rico), Sky Sports (Central America) and through the web at livebasketball.tv (subscription required).

For the best coverage of the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas, visit ligamericas.com and our social networks @ligamericas.

FIBA