Denia Basketball He completed his excellent end of the year and confirmed his permanence in Nacional, the highest autonomous category, by beating Burjassot at home in a match that meant all or nothing for Bernardo Sanz's team, after twenty-eight games played in the debut season in this competition. .
Surely this agonizing end should not have been reached, but the demanding and somewhat unfair competition format established, and especially the bad regular league final in which the opportunity to ensure permanence without suffering was missed, weighed heavily on the spirit of this very young group of players, and led them to lose their step in the first three days of the relegation phase.
With so little margin of time remaining, the team had to do almost an impossible by winning the three games of the second round, with the handicap that two of them would be far from Joan Fuster.
The first two obstacles were saved by winning first in Altea, which was a huge relief and a great injection of confidence, and then at home against Escolapias, in a great game where the sensations returned fully to the team that was finally reunited.
The game of results in the penultimate day left Altea and Escolapias out of the relegation, and determined that whoever was defeated in the confrontation between Burjassot and ours would lose the category in this group, in a match that would be played in L'Alquería del Basket by its usual installation will not be available.
The good news was that, at least, both teams arrived tied for this last day, so the dianenses avoided having to overcome the difference of seven points by which they won in Dénia. It was enough to win by one point to maintain the category.
A first quarter played at a very high rate left things equal as at the beginning (20-20).
It would be in the middle of the second quarter when Dénia's men began to be more solid in attack and defense, managing to open an important distance when they reached the break (28-40).
The locals knew the importance of the start of the third period and based on constancy under the hoops they not only contained Denia Basketball's escape, but also reduced the distance before reaching the final fourth, by adding, to the weapons shown up to that moment, the hit from the 6,75 line (48-55).
Five more minutes to decide the outcome. Busjassot reduced the difference to four (53-57) midway through the last period and the match seemed to be going to reach an unpredictable end.
But five consecutive points in just thirty seconds, they returned the game to where it was most convenient, forcing the home team to take risks in attack and defense that Denia Basket knew how to read, gradually increasing the advantage until reaching the end of the match.
The team exploded with joy and celebrated the victory together in the middle of the track. They knew they had achieved the impossible that just three weeks ago seemed unattainable.
Now after a few days of pause, they will begin to think about what will be their second consecutive campaign in Nacional, a category conquered with patience and years, with the sole argument of the quarry work that is and will continue to be the watchword of the entity .
