Even so, after halftime, the red-clad side responded by raising its defensive intensity and taking the lead in a display of the hunger and competitiveness shown by the revamped Aragonese roster. Valencia, however, held firm thanks to its accuracy from three-point range and eventually prevailed in a final quarter shaped by fatigue, turnovers and both teams' lack of shooting accuracy. The defeat was Casademont's first of the preseason, but it served as another valuable test as the team continues fine-tuning a machine in which, although there are still things to adjust, every piece makes its contribution.
THE GAME
After opening the preseason with two victories that had produced more certainties than doubts, the red-clad side faced a revamped Valencia Basket with the aim of building on the positive impressions shown so far. In the second game in which he could count on all his players except Jilson Bango, García de Vitoria opted for a starting five of Trae Bell-Haynes, Caleb Homesley, Miguel González, Roberts Blumbergs and Laurynas Birutis.
With these players on the court, the pace and both teams' willingness to run set the tone for an intense opening, as Valencia and Casademont traded baskets in transition, with Homesley leading the way for the Aragonese team. Even so, the Aragonese side's defensive lapses when running back toward its own basket were exploited by an orange-clad Valencia team that took control of the game. In fact, a series of defensive mistakes and stagnant attacks by Casademont allowed Valencia to close the first quarter with an 11-2 run, leaving the red-clad side in need of a defensive improvement (30-22).
The orange-clad team took control of the game at the end of the first quarter. Photo: Valencia Basket
When play resumed, the attacks became less productive, while Bell-Haynes and Homesley combined for six points to bring Casademont closer, with all of its players having already seen action. Brussino, who had been chosen to receive the ball on several set plays, also made his presence felt by scoring five points in just a few moments. Even so, Casademont's poor free-throw shooting and Valencia's accuracy from three-point range prevented the Aragonese side from turning the game around before halftime (50-44).
SECOND HALF
After the break, the high pace that had characterized the game, together with the fact that it was Valencia's first preseason friendly, began to take its toll on the orange-clad side, which showed signs of fatigue and made mistakes at both ends of the court. As a result, Valencia managed just one three-pointer in almost four minutes of the quarter, allowing Casademont to complete its comeback with a three-pointer by Miguel González. However, Valencia's outstanding shooting from beyond the arc, as the team never hesitated to pull the trigger, allowed the side from Aragón, which had improved in the second half, to take a lead that it extended in the final second of the quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Jaworski (68-69).
In the decisive quarter, and in a reminder that it is still preseason, fatigue and the humidity inside the Benicarló arena affected two inaccurate teams that struggled to score and committed several turnovers at both ends of the court. Valencia was the first to react, using a 5-0 run to force García de Vitoria to call a timeout in an effort to finish the game on a positive note. Despite the timeout, the Valencians continued to open up the gap against a Casademont side that ended the game with positive offensive signs and strong individual contributions from its players—Jaworski finished with 20 points and five three-pointers—but still has areas to improve, particularly on defense, as it suffered its first preseason defeat (88-81).
