In another round of the New Basketball Brazil (NBB), Flamengo had a great second half and beat Rio Claro 100-53 on Saturday night (8), at the Felipe Karam gymnasium, in São Paulo. The highlights of the match were Hettsheimeir and Gabriel Jaú with 17 points. With the result, the Pride of the Nation reached its ninth consecutive victory in the season.

Highlights
Hettsheimeir – 17 points;
Gabriel Jaú – 17 points;
Gui Deodato – 16 points;
Vildoza – 15 points;
Olivinha – 15 points.

The game
The Pride of the Nation's first two points of the match came from Hettsheimeir, who received a nice assist from Luke Martinez. Mengão's number 30 went on to score six more points in a row, demonstrating excellent early performance. Rio Claro, for their part, also capitalized on their attacking runs to score. The opening minutes were quite even. Hettsheimeir was truly inspired! He hit a three-pointer and already had an incredible 11 points in the match. On a quick counterattack, Gabriel Jaú found Olivinha in the paint, who finished with a platter. Luke Martinez showed his accuracy and also hit from the three-point line. FlaBasquete finished the quarter ahead: 22-19.

On the court, Gui Deodato scored the first points for the red-and-blacks in the second quarter. The match continued to be a close affair. For a few minutes in the fourth quarter, the score was stagnant due to mistakes made by both teams. Penka Aguirre, on an individual play, drove into the paint and scored his first two points of the game. In the final stretch, the Pride of the Nation worked well collectively and managed to open up a healthy 10-point lead: 40-30.

After halftime, Gabriel Jaú made a good drive, scored two more points, and was fouled, but ended up missing the bonus free throw. Jaú again excelled on the attack, hitting a three-pointer for Mengão. In a well-worked play, Penka delivered a beautiful back-pass to Vildoza, who quickly passed to Hettsheimeir on the perimeter for another three-pointer. Vildoza didn't let it slide either, finishing the three-pointer as well. In a great quarter, Orgulho da Nação took the lead and opened up a big lead: 67-40.

In the final period, despite the lead gained in the third quarter, the Mais Querido didn't slow down and continued scoring on offense. On a comeback play, Gui Deodato sped down the field and scored two more points on a layup. Luke Martinez then shot for a three-pointer, which went in. Vildoza's excellent fourth quarter was noteworthy, both in setting up plays and finishing. With a great second half, FlaBasquete defeated the home team by a wide margin: 100-53.

Next challenge
The Pride of the Nation returns to the court next Monday (10) to face Franca, at 20 pm, at the Pedrocão gym. The confrontation between leader and runner-up is valid for the last round of the first phase of the NBB.

Starting Quintet
Vildoza, Lucas Martinez, Penka Aguirre, Gabriel Jaú and Hettsheimeir.
Coach: Gustavo De Conti.