On the night of last Wednesday (19), the Pride of the Nation beat Botafogo in the second game of the semifinal, in General Severiano, by 89 to 81 and qualified for the final of the Carioca Basketball Championship. In the first duel, at Tijuca Tênis Clube, Mais Querido also beat the rival by 79 to 69. In the final, Rubro-Negro faces Vasco da Gama. The first game will be on Monday (24) with Flamengo at the helm and the second, on Wednesday (26), with the opposing team at the helm. The locations are not yet defined.

The first quarter was evenly matched. With a few three-pointers, the Biggest in the World finished ahead by one point, 23-22. Botafogo started the second quarter better and managed to turn the score around early on. However, the Red-Blacks came back and finished with a one-point lead over their rivals again, 45-44.

The game was wide open. In a thrilling and intense third quarter, Flamengo led 63-62 in the final ten minutes. In the final period, Flamengo opened up an eight-point lead early on, while their opponent only managed to score with just over five minutes remaining. The final score was 89-81 for Flamengo and secured a spot in the tournament final. Flamengo will be aiming for their 12th consecutive title.