Flamengo debuts with a victory over Macaé in the Campeonato Carioca

Pride of the Nation goes in search of the 12th consecutive title of the competition

By - in 23/09/2016 às 12:39

Current eleven-time Rio de Janeiro champion, Flamengo debuted in the State Championship by beating Macaé 78-59, last Thursday (22), at the Hélio Maurício gymnasium, in Gávea. In search of the 12th consecutive title in the competition and still unable to count on Ricardo Fischer and Rafael Mineiro, who are recovering from injury, coach José Neto led his team to victory in the debut. The initial quintet had Ronald Ramon, Marcelinho, Marquinhos, Olivinha and JP Batista. Later, João Vitor, Humberto, Lelê, Léo Bispo, Jorge, Danilo and Felipin entered.

Marcelinho, the Flamengo captain, was the game's top scorer with 17 points, in addition to five assists and three rebounds. Marquinhos was another standout player, scoring 12 points, three assists, and three rebounds. JP Batista scored ten points and grabbed five rebounds, and Ronald Ramon added nine points. Among the youngsters, Humberto contributed the most with ten points.

In the first quarter, FlaBasquete dominated the court and ended up beating Macaé 26-12. Out of eight three-point attempts, the "Greatest in the World" (Flamengo) made five, achieving a 63% success rate. In the second quarter, the pace slowed: Macaé led 12-11. After halftime, Flamengo's aggressive approach returned, scoring 20-2 in less than five minutes, increasing their lead to 67-37. In the final quarter, José Neto took the opportunity to rest the starters and put the younger players on the court. Flamengo lost the period 21-7, but managed to secure the victory in their State Championship debut with a score of 78-59.

The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo adult basketball team relies on direct funding from its sponsor Estácio, in addition to investments from Tim via the State Sports Incentive Law/State Secretariat for Sports, Leisure and Youth (ICMS).