Fla debuts in the LDB with a crushing victory
Team defeats Londrina and this Friday (28.12) faces Limeira
By press office - in
Seeking its second consecutive championship, Flamengo debuted with a resounding victory in the LDB (Basketball Development League), the Brazilian Under-22 Championship. Coach Paulo Chupeta's team defeated ALE/Londrina/Paiquerê FM 80-45 at the Asceb Gymnasium in Brasília. Flamengo returns to the court this Friday at 16 p.m. against Limeira. Flamengo's Diego Marques and Alexandre Paranhos led the way with 17 points each.
Londrina led in the opening minutes, but little by little, Flamengo's point guard, Gegê, who is part of the senior team, began to bring his team into the game. Taking advantage of counterattacks, the Rio de Janeiro team took the lead and extended their lead to 13 points in the first quarter (24-11) and went into halftime leading (38-25).
With six consecutive points from power forward Alexandre Paranhos, Flamengo took a 44-25 lead in the third quarter. The lead remained throughout the period, which ended with the Rio de Janeiro team leading 52-32. In the final quarter, Flamengo's outside shots began to fall. Four consecutive shots were made early in the period, and the lead quickly grew to 29 points (66-37). This made it difficult for the Paraná team to mount a comeback.
"This team was put together to win the title and we know the pressure of being the current champion. But there's no point playing under pressure, we have to play calmly and do our part, taking it one game at a time," commented Flamengo captain Gegê.
The LDB is being contested by 18 teams divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals. At this stage, the eight teams will again be divided into two groups, which will play on February 09th, 10th, and 11th. The top two teams from each group will advance to the final stage of the competition, which will be played on February 28th and March 01st at the NBB All-Star Game venue.
Londrina led in the opening minutes, but little by little, Flamengo's point guard, Gegê, who is part of the senior team, began to bring his team into the game. Taking advantage of counterattacks, the Rio de Janeiro team took the lead and extended their lead to 13 points in the first quarter (24-11) and went into halftime leading (38-25).
With six consecutive points from power forward Alexandre Paranhos, Flamengo took a 44-25 lead in the third quarter. The lead remained throughout the period, which ended with the Rio de Janeiro team leading 52-32. In the final quarter, Flamengo's outside shots began to fall. Four consecutive shots were made early in the period, and the lead quickly grew to 29 points (66-37). This made it difficult for the Paraná team to mount a comeback.
"This team was put together to win the title and we know the pressure of being the current champion. But there's no point playing under pressure, we have to play calmly and do our part, taking it one game at a time," commented Flamengo captain Gegê.
The LDB is being contested by 18 teams divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals. At this stage, the eight teams will again be divided into two groups, which will play on February 09th, 10th, and 11th. The top two teams from each group will advance to the final stage of the competition, which will be played on February 28th and March 01st at the NBB All-Star Game venue.