Before the match between Magec Tías "Against Gender Violence" and AD Cortegada, the stakes were clear: they had to win to avoid having to watch the match between ADBA and Arxil, and even then, there was another opportunity to achieve the goal of staying in the league next week. But why leave for tomorrow what you can do today?
The Lanzarote team came out very focused on the match, with Camille Giardina being a nuisance for Cortegada and Carolina Mateo dancing inside the paint with every rival player she encountered, putting on a fabulous performance. The news at the poor man's house is not always good; there was bad news: Regina Gómez quickly accumulated two personal fouls and had to save the Galician player for later minutes. On top of all this, the Maiomuna Haidara festival began, and in the first quarter, she already had 5 rebounds and 6 points, half of a double-double, which would fall shortly after. The visitors couldn't contain the local players, excellently directed by María Esperanza Delgado or Sara Duarte, reaching the end of the quarter with a score of 20 to 10.
In the second period, the players who stood out in the first continued to do so, but others didn't want to miss the party either. Natalia García scored a much-celebrated three-pointer, the only one the Lanzarote team had made in the first half, bringing players like Carla Medina, who was always in tune with her teammates' work, or Iranzu Drake, who is a sure bet in defensive tasks, into the scene. Meanwhile, María Esperanza Delgado looked for a three-pointer that didn't come, and the rival coach called timeouts to redirect a match that had been 16 points down and that, before the break, was 36-30, with a very positive face from the Galicians, who threatened to make war after the break.
The threat remained just that. The ascending line of Magec Tías "Against Gender Violence" in the match returned after the throw-in on the return to the court. It is true that Leocadio Pérez's team didn't come out completely sharp, and for that reason, the Lanzarote coach asked for a timeout, but they were a whirlwind that gradually undermined the Galician defense. The differences widened to 21 points, Maimouna achieved her umpteenth double-double of the season, Camille reached twenty points, María Esperanza Delgado managed to score a three-pointer, while Carolina continued to show that she plays better at home than anywhere else, seeing the Carolina of the great occasions again. Everything was going perfectly, ending the quarter with the score at 62 to 43.
In the last quarter, the Lanzarote team already saw themselves as winners, but they didn't give up. They continued to play as they had done so far and continued to be a real hammer for their rival. Defensively, the team was perfect, with rebounds, steals, and even blocks. Offensively, they were having their afternoon, and there was little the rival could do about it, other than try to fix the difference so that it wasn't more bulky.
However, the distance on the scoreboard grew, up to 27 points, at which point the visiting bench asked for a timeout. Samira Olano, one of the undisputed players up to that moment, came onto the court doing a good job of distributing the ball, and the Maltese international Mikela Riolo also had minutes and even managed to score. Regina had the minutes she hadn't had in the whole match due to personal fouls and also left the imprint of the Galician, her charisma in the game and on the court, and although she has had better matches, she made it clear that what prevails is the team factor over the rest, like Esther Milandu, who sacrificed herself in defense with personal fouls, being the only player who didn't finish the match.
Time ran out, and the score of 82 to 58 allowed the local players to jump for joy. It has been a very hard year, where the great captain, Yaiza García, about to be a mom, couldn't be on the court with 'her lionesses' but has always been with them in another way. The architect of the promotion, Aday Villalba, had to step aside for personal reasons, but continued to suffer in every moment for what 'his players' were doing; where injuries left players who were going to be important, like Carla Escuert, out of participation, or where the public, that important factor that pushes to get the last breath out of each athlete, has had to settle for watching the league online.
No more can be asked of the coaching staff, with Leocadio at the head and flanked by Jesús, Cristo, Dani, and David, nor of the president Yanira, who in a year of pandemic has managed to keep afloat a team that will continue for another year showing the name of Tías and the island throughout the national territory.
Technical Sheet
Magec Tías "Against Gender Violence" (82): Regina Gómez (2), Maimouna Haidara (17), Carolina Mateo (13), María Esperanza Delgado (10) and Camille Giardina (24). Also played Sara Duarte (4), Carla Medina, Iranzu Drake (2), Samira Olano (2), Natalia Garía (5), Mikela Riolo (1) and Esther Milandu (2).
AD Cortegada (58): Patricia Vicente (6), Cristina Loureiro (5), Sara Gómez (15), Lorena Castro (2) and Tereza Sedlakova (8). Also played Zeltia Presas (8), Miriam García (2), María González, Irene Montenegro (3) and Mercy Wanyama (9).
Referees: Aldo Jesús Rodríguez Francisco and Sergio Castro Pulido. Eliminated Esther Milandu, for the locals, due to personal fouls.
Scores each quarter: 20-10 / 36-30 (break) 62-43 / 82-58 (final)
Incidents: Match belonging to the 25th day of the Women's League 2 Group A of the 20/21 season, played in the Municipal Pavilion of Tías and without public, by political decision.
