Flamengo opens the season with a victory
Mais Querido defeats Campos in the opening round of the State Championship; international reinforcements debut
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
The 2013/14 season started well for Flamengo. In the first round of the State Championship, the "Mais Querido" defeated Campos 79-69 on Friday night (October 04.10th) at the Gávea headquarters. Olivinha scored 21 points and finished as the top scorer. International reinforcements Meyinsse and Laprovittola debuted and showed that their signings were a good idea. This Saturday (October 05.10th), at 17 pm, the Rubro-Negro will face Macaé, once again at Gávea.
"We're still a bit out of training mode, but it's a process of evolution. There's a lot that happened in the game that we need to fix, but we can't demand too much for now. I believe this team can still give a lot to Flamengo basketball," said José Neto, Flamengo's coach.
The game
Flamengo took to the court with the following starting five: Gegê, Laprovittola, Benite, Meyinsse, and Olivinha. Cheered on by the fans, the team started pressing but failed to convert their game volume into points. With a well-organized defense, Campos was able to hold off the red-and-black attack, and the first quarter ended with a score that demonstrated the balance between the teams: 19-16 for "Mais Querido." Over the next ten minutes, the visitors began to score under pressure; however, the Flamengo players' skill prevailed, and the Gávea club went into halftime leading by an even greater margin: 35-26.
In the opening minutes of the second half, a play clearly symbolized the strength of the reigning New Basketball Brazil (NBB) champions: Laprovittola, Ronaldinho Gaúcho-style, looked one way and passed the ball to the other, and Meyinsse received the ball for a dunk that brought the nation to its feet. Campos also returned to the court well and had good two-point shooting. Thus, the nine-point lead remained at 55-46 after the end of the third quarter. In the final period, the match remained evenly matched, and Flamengo managed to extend its lead to just one point.
"I was really looking forward to playing. I want to start getting into the team and be part of Flamengo. Our performance could have been better, but the important thing is that we won," said Argentine Laprovittola, who scored four points.
"We're still a bit out of training mode, but it's a process of evolution. There's a lot that happened in the game that we need to fix, but we can't demand too much for now. I believe this team can still give a lot to Flamengo basketball," said José Neto, Flamengo's coach.
The game
Flamengo took to the court with the following starting five: Gegê, Laprovittola, Benite, Meyinsse, and Olivinha. Cheered on by the fans, the team started pressing but failed to convert their game volume into points. With a well-organized defense, Campos was able to hold off the red-and-black attack, and the first quarter ended with a score that demonstrated the balance between the teams: 19-16 for "Mais Querido." Over the next ten minutes, the visitors began to score under pressure; however, the Flamengo players' skill prevailed, and the Gávea club went into halftime leading by an even greater margin: 35-26.
In the opening minutes of the second half, a play clearly symbolized the strength of the reigning New Basketball Brazil (NBB) champions: Laprovittola, Ronaldinho Gaúcho-style, looked one way and passed the ball to the other, and Meyinsse received the ball for a dunk that brought the nation to its feet. Campos also returned to the court well and had good two-point shooting. Thus, the nine-point lead remained at 55-46 after the end of the third quarter. In the final period, the match remained evenly matched, and Flamengo managed to extend its lead to just one point.
"I was really looking forward to playing. I want to start getting into the team and be part of Flamengo. Our performance could have been better, but the important thing is that we won," said Argentine Laprovittola, who scored four points.