Goikoetxea--Manzicidor 1-0, +15
Barandika--Zabala 1-0, +14
Ur. Lerkerikabeaskoa--Basque 0-2, -29
Goiketxea--Mancisidor and Barandika--Zabala qualify for the semi-finals
NOTE: XABIER BARANDIKA WAS INJURED LAST WEEK AND HIS SUBSTITUTE IN THE PAU CUP (Cesta Punta Pro Tour Summer league) WAS KEVIN ITHURRIA (See Pau Cup links below under the Summer League thread). Whether Barandika will be available to play in the team's final league match v Goiko-Manzicidor next Saturday is unknown at this time. Barandika is also scheduled to play at St. Jean de Luz in the Master 2 FINAL on Tuesday 7/25/23. His availability for that match is also unknown.
GROUP B:
AARON GONZALEZ DE MATAUKO--IMANOL LOPEZ 2
ARITZ ERKIAGA--JULEN DEL RIO 1
15-13, 5-15, 5-4 (25-32)
The semi-finalists from this Group will be determined by the Day 3 League match next Saturday. There is all to play for, considering the rather odd point differentials of the teams. No team has clinched a semi-final berth as yet.
MATCH ARTICLES GOOGLE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
‼️AARON AND LOPEZ, ALIVE!
📸Guk Jai Alai
GOIKOETXEA-MANZI vs URKO-BASQUE: 15-11, 15-4
ERKIAGA-DEL RIO vs AARON-LOPEZ: 13-15, 15-5, 4-5
There was great emotion in the second day of the Grand Slam in Gernika. Aaron and Lopez needed a win to continue in the tournament. Or at least to have options. They achieved their goal in the tie breaker and in the last point: Aaron from Gasteiz entered Erkiaga's serve and the Arava player managed to finish it, scoring in the rib position. They are not qualified for the finals, but after going through a lot of trouble, they got out of the Cathedral alive. Everything will be decided next week. Olharan-Lekerika vs Erkiaga-Del Rio. Live or die
Erkiaga and Del Rio were ahead by three points in the match but it was hinted that they were playing together for the first time. The reds have not been fully coordinated and the blues have taken advantage of this situation. 15-13 first set for Aaron and Lopez. The second time, it has no color. Erkiaga has offered a final festival. He didn't even let his opponents breathe. Excellent Ispaster player, 100% focused on the attacking game: 15-5. But the reds have paid dearly for that first set. The game was decided by five points, and the Blues were ahead of the game. Erkiaga and Del Rio have equalized (4-4), Aritz takes the serve and meets Aaron, who puts the ball in the basket, finishes and wins the game (4-5).
In the first match of the festival, Goikoetxea and Manzi dominated, although the blues were ahead 8-3. The Basques have dominated Manzi from Mutri and Urko has also been very confident, making a couple of goals in front. But when the ball came to life, the chances of the blues ended. Manzi allowed Goikoe to rebound and the Zumaians took the blues out of the court, 15-11. In the second set, the reds found the wind in their favor from the beginning. Manzi very safe and Goiko also well, as in the pilot, at the finish. 15-4
Next Saturday, the first and second places in group A will be decided: BARANDIKA-ZABALA vs GOIKOETXEA-MANZI.
In group B there are three pairs alive but Aaron and Lopez will have to wait to see what the others do: OLHARAN-LEKERIKA vs ERKIAGA-DEL RIO. For the forward of Ispaster and the defender of Gasteiz, only victory counts!
Aarón and López are still alive in the Gernika basket tip Grand Slam
Their adjusted victory allows them to reach the third day of the tournament with options, from which Urko and Basque are already out
Saturday, July 22, 2023, 7:18 p.m.
John Paul Martin
They needed victory on the second day of the Gernika basket tip Grand Slam like eating and they achieved it. Aarón and López are still alive in the tournament. They defeated Erkiaga and Del Río at the last breath, in a duel that started well but went awry. Ispaster's striker and his defender paid for the lack of rapport at the start of the contest and they missed the first game (15-13). Del Río arrived this week after winning the international tournament in Mexico, and had had little time to acclimatize with his partner.
In the second, however, the auctioneer from Biscay took his rivals ahead. Erkiaga did not give them a break, he used his repertoire and tied the game (15-5). Thus they reached the third and final set in which the striker from Alava and the defender from Zumaia came ahead at the end (4-3), but those who wore red tied. Everything was up in the air. The man from Ispaster served but the striker from Alava was attentive to the rest (intercepted the serve and killed the point immediately), scored the ball and finished on the side.
In this way, Aarón and López maintain their options but remain pending the clash of the third day between Olharan-Lekerika and Erkiaga-Del Río. The second ones need to win to be in the semifinals. Otherwise, the Alavés and the Gipuzkoan will enter.
Goikoetxea and Manzi
Goikoetxea and Manzi, for their part, did not have many problems to overcome Urko and Basque, who after adding their second defeat are out of the competition. The young striker from Gernika and his teammate started well (8-3), but when the ball gained sparkle and the player from Zumaia had more options to rebound, everything went wrong. Goikoetxea shot quality to change the dynamics of the game and, well seconded by Mutriku's, took victory (15-11). The second set had little history because the winners were much superior (15-4).
On the last day of the group, the first and second places in their group will be decided with the match between Barandika-Zabala and Goikoetxea-Manzi. The Gernika striker had to suspend the semifinal he was playing in the Copa de Pau this Saturday due to a knee problem. Ithurria will play in his place. Accompanied by López, they face Erkiaga and Del Río. The defender from Alava will play the Iparralde season in place of the injured Etcheto.
The top basket does not stop and this Sunday (10:00 p.m.) the semifinals of the Mutriku Master Series will take place. Aarón and Zabala will play against Goixerri and Manzi in the first game, and Goikoetxea-Bailo will face Eñaut-Lekerika in the second. Tickets are sold out.
