Hestia Menorca – UEMC Real Valladolid Basketball, duel to reach windows with margin over relegation

Bintaufa closes the first quarter of the championship before the break with the visit of Agustí Sans’ new team.

Face to face in the lower area. One more for Hestia Menorca, which after leaving Morón with a very important victory, seeks to increase that streak and be able to take stock of the first eight days with an advantage of two victories over the red places in the table, a line that is now marked by its rival , UEMC Real Valladolid Basketball.

Equal parts tension and desire for the team and the Island, which this Saturday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m., will make the Pavelló Menorca a cauldron: “We are hoping that more people will be encouraged to make Bintaufa a party once again, show the most competitive side and be able to go to the window break with a good taste in our mouths and, if possible, with a victory.”

Nail the stage and the distribution of loads to reach this event, committed to the preparation for the express trip back from Seville and the return to normality of the pavilion for basketball practice in the return of the Spanish Cup, with barely 48 hours for all this. Circumstances that the Valladolid club has not had to go through, which had to rest on that fifth day of the group stage.

“The truth is that it has been a different week after the Morón trip, when we arrived on Monday. We had just a few hours to prepare for the game against Palmer and we also had to try to take care of some players. For the rest, the team is doing well, preparing for the game with great enthusiasm,” says Javi Zamora, Hestia coach, who already has Sean McDonnell in dynamics and with the scare of Víctor Arteaga’s sprain forgotten.

Now, the Menorcans have to focus exclusively on Primera FEB and the next obstacle wears white and violet. Lalo Encinas’ men need to put all their effort into achieving their third league victory, after qualifying “as a spectator” to the next round of the cup, and thus calm the waters of Pisuerga coming out of relegation.

For this, the visitors will not be able to count on the contribution of Shemar Wilson, Gert Suvi and Jaan Puidet, all due to injury. A squad that has been reduced in strength due to the misfortune of physical incidents, but that continues to maintain the level of a PlayOff contender for promotion: “They have a very compensated squad, with a lot of talent. They have had very sensitive losses, especially for the structure of the team, but I am convinced that they will go up and that after half of the season we will see them in top positions.”

Among the members of the expedition, there are names that combine quality and experience, such as Hansel Atencia, Maj Kovacevic or Agustí Sans, who returns to his Island, this time with other colors. Other players to take into account are, in the interior field, Amanze Egkeze or Davis Rozitis, while from the outside throw the threat is the American Nathan Hoover.

“They are a group in which everyone adds up and is very comfortable in the open field, in transition, using the ‘early offense’ and with the threat of both Kovacevic and Hoover when it comes to opening the field. We have to be very serious, especially when it comes to rebounding, trying to impose our rhythm, stopping their scoring efforts and not letting them chain those sets that make them gain so much air and inertia,” concludes the Hestia Madrid coach.

Menorca is ready for its second match in Bintaufa of the week, which will be the last of this month with the FIBA window break in between, to try to lead the islanders to the 4-4 and also be able to repeat victory at home against the Pucelanos, as happened last season, a fact that would tip the balance in the history of face-to-face confrontations between both entities in favor of the locals.