Rehabilitation. After a last-minute defeat in their debut, Flamengo faced traditional rival Botafogo in the second round of the Copa Avianca this Thursday at Minas Tênis Clube. And as expected, the match was balanced.

The rivals traded positions at the top of the scoreboard, which was only decided in the final quarter, when Flamengo relied on Marcelinho, MJ Rhett, and JP Batista in excellent form to take the lead and secure the result. For coach José Neto, the team's collective effort made the difference in securing the victory. 

"Today we were dominant from start to finish, even though we managed to rotate the team, which is one of our goals in this competition. The players played very well collectively, and we achieved a good victory!" said Neto after the match.

For Flamengo, Marquinhos led all scorers with 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists. JP Batista also shone, with 17 points and five rebounds. Pecos (12), Marcelinho (11), and Ronald Ramón (10) also scored. Flamengo returns to the court this Thursday against Vitória at 18:15 p.m., again at Minas Tênis Clube.

Flamengo and Botafogo hunted each other throughout the game. The first quarter, the most evenly matched, is proof of this. Neto started Pilar, keeping his promise to use the competition for training and to rotate the team extensively. The other winger, Marquinhos, shone in the half, scoring seven points and grabbing two rebounds, leading the team. He even put Flamengo ahead early in the quarter, hitting a three-pointer right after Botafogo opened the scoring. The number 11 played almost the entire quarter, being Flamengo's main player in the half, which ended tied at 22-22 after he hit two free throws with 11 seconds remaining. 

Flamengo won the second quarter, but Pecos was the man. With eight points and three assists, he dismantled the black-and-white defense and was essential to the red-and-black team's superiority. Botafogo was winning the half when the number 23 hit a shot with three seconds remaining, putting the Mais Querido (Most Beloved) ahead. 

In the third quarter, however, Flamengo, despite leading throughout the period, couldn't hold on to the lead in the end. For the black and white side, Coimbra nailed his three-pointers, giving Botafogo the lead. 

Neto sent Pecos, Humberto, Marcelinho, MJ, and JP into the final frame. And the tactic paid off. Captain Marcelinho scored seven points, while JP decided the game in the paint with 10 points and two rebounds. Flamengo started better and maintained its momentum, while Botafogo made several mistakes. In the end, it was just a matter of controlling the victory and closing out the game with an 86-76 victory.