Defense and aggression led Friends to victory

In Funchal, the women's CAB team received Sporting. In the inaugural game of the Women's League, the Amigas sought to enter the regular phase with the right foot, but on the other hand they had an organized and very well-inforced team that came to Madeira to take advantage of the limitations of Madeirans. Remember that in the CAB, Morgan Bailey was outside with a broken foot while many other players were severely conditioned (Joana Lopes with back problems, Filipa Bernardeco with a hernia, Marta Bravo with a disc fissure and Aleighsa Welch with a muscular rupture in the thigh). In the first period, the CAB began better. Showing great aggressiveness and a joy to play, the house's reached the end of the first five minutes to win by 12-7. However, from then on, the game began to run less well for the Friends. On the other hand, Sporting, led by Madeiran Catarina Caldeira, also formed in the CAB, reversed the result and reached the end of the first period with the result tied to 15 points. In the second period, the CAB entered determined to reverse the course of events. To this end, the Amigas tried to switch their inner game with the outside game, with emphasis on the provision that was making Carolina Scorcio, clearly the most active player at this stage of the meeting. However, as the minutes passed, the Madeirans were accusing, very much, the fact that they are still an incomplete team, in construction and in search of their own identity. The balance remained over the second half, with no training to ‘take off’ on the marker. No surprise, the break came with the result 32-31, in favor of the CAB, but with the game totally open. On the return of the locker rooms, the CAB entered completely different. The house players engaged in defense and... ran. These two simple aspects made all the difference. With 5 minutes played in the third half, the CAB led 46-37, and by the end of the third half, the leadership of the CAB was already 15 points (60-45). During this period, packed with renewed aggressiveness in defensive aspects, the CAB gave Sporting no chance. The Amigas showed threads of understanding between their players on the offensive side of the field, while in defense the team left the clear message that, when they want and is aggressive, the CAB is a very difficult team to transpose. The good signs for the future have been given and it remains to be trusted that the athletes' commitment to training and games will continue to make a difference. Leading by 20 points in the last period, Coach João Pedro released Karolina Sierska, who was even very close to scoring, making a positive debut. At the end of the meeting, the amrcador marked 88-63, a result that mirrored the defensive aggressiveness of the CAB and the increased intensity that those of the house brought to the game in the second part of the meeting. In individual terms: Cintia France (6), Filipa Bernardeco (2), Sara Barreira (4), Joana Lopes (12), Leonor Nunes (6), Aleighsa Wekch (17), Ejay Ofomata (21), Carolina Escorcio (20).