Friends teach good basketball, but are overcome by fatigue and individual Porto values

The men's team of the CAB went to the north of the country to compete for a double journey against the teams of Porto (Saturday) and Barcelos (Sunday). The two games mark, for the CAB, the end of the Regular Phase, so the matches were important from an soulful perspective and preparation of Friends for the next phase of the season. The game began best for the formation of Porto, which, with 5 minutes of play elapsed, won the game by 10-5. However, the CAB, which was performing with great dedication, responded, increasing its defensive effectiveness and further exploring its attack options. The end of the first period came with the house in front by 19-13, however the CAB was demonstrating aggressiveness and ability to discuss the game despite the punctual disadvantage. In the second half, the CAB entered at a very strong pace and had some opportunities to match the match to 19 points. However, the Friends, who were even playing better than Porto, failed to capitalize on the opportunities taken and, as a result, Porto reached the middle of the second period to win by the result of 26-20. The CAB did not give up, but, on the other hand, it was a Port playing at home, with all that this implies, that, when 3 minutes were left for the break, it gained its greatest advantage so far (34-22). Until the break, there continued to be a very fierce struggle between the two formations, and, although the CAB was better collectively, Porto had an inspired José Silva that already had 22 points noted when the teams collected to the locker rooms. In the middle of the game, the superiority remained of Porto by 43-35, a result that excessively punished the good provision of the CAB, and that essentially mirrored some individual benefits in the house. In the CAB, among the good performance of the group, the highlight went to DeAndre Mays and Fábio Lima (with 10 points each), as well as to George Blakeney (which already had 9 hits won). On returning to the game, Porto entered stronger than the CAB and placed its point advantage at 12 points (47-35). Friends were not intimidated and continued to give an excellent replica, interrupted only in short spaces due to the accumulation of fatigue and wear in Madeirans. Demonstrating great collective spirit and renewed dynamism, which indicates a team to grow and with greater confidence in itself, the CAB did not let Porto shoot the marker. On the contrary, the Friends maintained their position and not only won the partial (19-20), but reached the end of the third period with a disadvantage of only 7 points (62-55). The fourth period, began with the house's increasing to 10 points its advantage over the CAB (65-55). The growth phase of northerners was not immediately accompanied by Friends, who began to show deeper signs of physical tiredness, the natural fruit of a more limited and less rotational squad. However, the response of the CAB emerged and, with 5 minutes to the end of the meeting, three free throws converted by Fábio Lima placed the marker in 65-62, still in favor of the men of Porto. By the end of the game, the delivery of the CAB was total and it is more than fair to leave a note of great praise to our boys and their technical team, who fought to the exhaustion with commitment and great courage, never giving up the difficulties in order to confirm the victory. It is clear that we are facing a more dynamic, more determined and very difficult team to win. It is a ‘new’ CAB, which arrives in good time and in time for a decisive phase of the time! However, the CAB collective was eventually overcome by the fatigue and individual actions of Porto, which allowed the house to win the game by 82-74, a result that sins because it is an excessive punctual difference when we meet the great balance that was seen in the match, especially in the first three periods. In individual terms: Bruno Cavalcante (2), George Blakeney (10), Jovoni Shuler (7), Diogo Ventura (8), DeAndre Mays (17), Fábio Lima (24), Stefan Popovski (6).