By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The third weekend of February was reserved for Cup competitions and it featured almost every domestic league cup in Europe.
There was a lot of action which also included the clubs participating in the Basketball Champions League as well. Some teams made runs which will give them big momentum in front of the BCL playoffs while others might not be as satisfied. Of course, there are also those for which the BCL season may be over but far from it that they don’t have what to play for still.
Hapoel Jerusalem, AEK, Dijon, Nymburk, and Anwil win it all
The best offensive squad in BCL, Hapoel Jerusalem, was the favorite to win the Cup in Israel, especially after eliminating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the quarterfinals back in November. And they met the expectations by beating Ironi Nahariya 92-89 in the Final.
Their BCL regular season rival (Group B) in AEK also secured a trophy with a 61-57 win over Promitheas in the Greek Cup. No easy task considering Promitheas was the squad that eliminated Panathinaikos and Peristeri to reach the end game.
Dijon might be the squad that surprised most people and exceeded the expectations in France, in the league as well as in the Leaders Cup. They got past Monaco in the semifinal and then went through ASVEL in the Final to lift the trophy – club’s first since 2004. Both teams that are, together with Dijon, at the top of the French League standings.
Nymburk continued its dominance in the Czech Republic winning its 4th straight and 14th overall Cup trophy after overcoming Prague 100-94.
In Poland, the Cup Final featured a BCL clash as Anwil and Torun dueled out for the trophy. Anwil came out on top with a 103-96 win and lifted its fourth Cup trophy – first since 2007.
Another BCL team, Antwerp, will have a chance to win the domestic cup as they clash with Charleroi on March 8 in Belgium.
Turk Telekom, Tenerife, and Zaragoza fall in close finishes
Not every BCL team got the success they wished for and some of them fell in exciting and close finishes. That’s especially true for Turk Telekom in Turkey as well as for Tenerife and Zaragoza in Spain, all three squads that are considered strong title-contenders in BCL.
Turk Telekom got past Pinar Karsiayaka in the quarterfinal but later got outlasted by Fenerbahce 83-81 in the semifinal. By Fenerbahce which went on to win the Turkish Cup.
In Spain, both Tenerife and Zaragoza finished their run in the quarterfinals. Andorra eliminated Tenerife with an 87-85 win while Unicaja did the same to Zaragoza with a 90-86 win.
Brindisi, Mornar, and Falco just short of the grand prize
Brindisi made a big run led by the squad captain Adrian Banks but couldn’t finish the job in the Final against Venezia, which got the 73-67 win and its first-ever Italian Cup trophy.
Falco Szombathely was also stopped in the Cup Final. Szolnoki was the challenge they couldn’t overcome in Hungary, losing the game 92-83.
In Montenegro, Mornar had a chance to upset Buducnost with a comeback but Scott Bamforth and Justin Cobbs stopped their effort and won the trophy for Buducnost.
Although not one step away, Lietkabelis and Neptunas clashed in the Lithuanian Cup for the third spot. Lietkaeblis got its third Cup trophy with an 84-73 win.
Adrian Banks, Marcelinho Huertas, and David Holston make history
Adrian Banks did all he can to push Brindisi in the Italian Cup. He logged record-breaking 37 points (highest in Italian Cup history) on 6-12 from deep and grabbed eight rebounds in the quarterfinals against another BCL team in Dinamo Sassari. He also banked 27 points in the Final but it wasn’t enough.
David Holston’s run with Dijon was more successful as they went all the way and he put on a record-breaking performance of his own to contribute. In his case, the 13 assists against Bourg-en-Bresse in the quarterfinals set the new record for most in a single Leaders Cup game. That is his second record in this competition as he also holds the record for most points scored in a single game, with the 35 that he scored in the 2019 edition.
Last but not least, Marcelinho Huertas made the Spanish Cup history. Although Tenerife didn’t make it past the quarterfinals, that 12-assist performance against Andorra was more than enough to put him at the top of the all-time assists list. He now leads the list with 117 dimes in front of Pablo Prigioni’s 109 as the only two players with 100 or more.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League