Mengão beat Botafogo 83-74 and won their 45th Campeonato Carioca title

Red-and-black star Marquinhos was the standout and top scorer of the match with 27 points

By Romulo Paranhos - in 04/10/2019 às 23:50

It's champion! On Friday night (04), Flamengo beat Botafogo 83-74 and won the 14th consecutive title of the State Basketball Championship, being the 45th conquest in its history. The idol Marquinhos was the top scorer of the match with 27 points.

Mengão started the first quarter strongly, opening a four-point lead within the first minute thanks to goals from Olivinha and Rafael Mineiro. As the period progressed, Botafogo fought back and even turned the score around. With Flamengo pressing hard, Flamengo struggled to find openings to score. As the clock ran out, Marquinhos hit a three-pointer, making it 26-19 for the black and whites.

The Pride of the Nation came back more alert in the second quarter and improved offensively, finding ways to penetrate the black-and-white paint with greater ease. Marquinhos, with a calibrated hand, hit a beautiful three-pointer that brought Flamengo closer to the scoreboard. The Flamengo fans, present at Tijuca, fired up and pushed the team to a 44-40 comeback.

When the teams returned for the third quarter, the game remained evenly matched, contested point by point. The red-and-black defense returned to better form, forcing Botafogo into attacking errors. On the offensive end, Mengão demonstrated quality and converted baskets, opening a small lead on the scoreboard: 67-60.

In the final, decisive quarter, the match remained fairly even. Early on, Botafogo tied the game again. But with a three-pointer from Argentine Franco Balbi, Flamengo regained the lead. The match became electrifying in the final minutes, with both teams attacking and trying to open the scoring. In the decisive moment, Mengão controlled the game and won 83-74. And the immense Nação Rubro-Negra celebrated in the Tijuca gymnasium!

With this result, Flamengo won the 45th title of the Rio de Janeiro Basketball Championship (the 14th consecutive), taking another trophy to Gávea.

The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo receive funding from their sponsors – BRB, TIM, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, and EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and the State Incentive Law/Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Sports, Recreation, and Youth (Seelje), in addition to support from the Brazilian Club Committee (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources generated by the Pelé Law. The Anjo da Guarda Rubro-Negro Project, a personal tax transfer, benefits all Olympic sports of the Most Beloved.