FCBARCELONA.CAT

06.04.2008 14:11

Fight to the end for victory (74-64)

Sònia de Alba

AXA Barça didn’t lose their concentration and had to fight for forty minutes against ViveMenorca. Pepe Sánchez managed to guide the team home in a game with a low percentage of three-pointers.

ViveMenorca arrived at the Palau in a very positive frame of mind. Ricard Casas’s hand is evident in all the teams he coaches. And those of Maó also left their impression. It was a good, tough game on the court. All that said, the azulgranas started the game well.

Accumulation of fouls

But personal fouls affected the game in the first quarter. ViveMenorca kept closing the gap until they turned the score around just before the end of the quarter (18-19). For the visitors an anke injury affected Ratko Varda’s involvement and the Menorcans’ inside game was weakened. We must remember that Jesús Fernández had an operation last Thursday.

Equal

Up to half-time, the score was tight. Stefanov made it 25-28 half way through the second quarter. The bench encouraged the team and defensively the team started playing well both together and individually. Roger Grimau and Fran Vázquez, helped by his captain, put Barça ahead 31-30.

Grimau was largely responsible for the 37-31 scoreline at half-time. Pepe Sánchez’s influence grew. He passed once to Basile who shot, despite being faced with two defenders. Grimau made sure of the points.

Differences start to show

Xavi Pascual’s side continued strong in defence.As a result of this intensity, the points difference stretched to eleven in the third quarter. Poor long range shooting by the home side, and more so by the visitors, meant little change in the points difference.

Good control

With Barça winning by 14 points at one stage, ViveMenorca didn’t fold. Quite the opposite – Marc Fernández, who played at junior levels with Barça - and Stefanov tried to claw their team back into the game when they could but Barça didn’t let them.

Pepe Sánchez was the most complete player on the day. Without much fanfare, the Argentinian managed eight rebounds, six points and nine assists. The last one to Jordi Trias, when the whole ViveMenorca defence were blocking the pass, was special.

With this result, and TAU’s defeat to Penya, AXA Barça now move in to third position in the ACB league.