The faith of Tenerife takes him to the final

The people of Tenerife will compete for the title against Unicaja after four failed 'semis'

The 'Penya' doesn't judge in its Olympic style and prolongs the host's blunder

Lenovo Tenerife beat Joventut Badalona (72-73) this Saturday in the second semifinal of the Copa del Rey de Badalona and will face Unicaja in a historic and unprecedented final, which eliminated Real Madrid, after a two-sided match in the one that the aurinegros went to more and annulled a 'Penya' that lengthens the jinx of the host.

The final will be Unicaja-Tenerife. A pulse that few expected and for which they least bet. But the compositors were far superior to Real Madrid and the aurinegros, in a minority in the stands, overcame Olímpic and a great Joel Parra (26 points) to win in a heart-stopping finish.

Andrés Feliz provoked an unsportsmanlike action from Aaron Doornekamp --who stopped him with his leg-- with 20.8 seconds to go and with the score at 71-71. He made only one free throw and missed a three-pointer that he made himself. There, between laments and green-black sighs, Bruno Fitipaldo sent a remote control pass to an Elgin Cook that he had not scored before, and who hit the winning basket with suspense.

There were 3.9 seconds left, yes, but that ball was beyond hot. Joel Parra played it, the 'MVP' in the shadows because, having won the 'Penya' match, the honor was his. He asked for the ball, penetrated with force and claw but ran into Tim Abromaitis, who blocked him with the force of Thor's hammer. That thunder that made Parra fall sentenced everything in favor of Tenerife.

Two unexpected heroes, Cook and Abromaitis, in a match with an unexpected outcome. Not because Tenerife doesn't have the level to be a finalist, which has plenty of it and more after playing two great games. It is because the 'Penya' had everything going for it, after easily beating Baskonia and being the host, to play that final against Unicaja.

Without Barça or Madrid in the way, something that has not happened since 2009 (Baskonia-Unicaja), it will be Tenerife who, after losing four semifinals previously, seek their first title in their first Copa del Rey final. Against a Unicaja team that won it for the only time in 2005 and will play its fourth final. It is, therefore, a final never seen before.

The 'Penya' is left without its end, in front of its people and in its Olímpic. Tenerife will play it against a Unicaja that arrives after achieving the historic machada in the ACB era of defeating Barça and Madrid in the same Cup. Difficult rival for a Tenerife that seeks to debut.

In a game with two very different faces, with a very offensive and hectic first half and a slow, rough and erratic second half, Tenerife was the one who came out of the intense final battle in the best position. But the start of the third quarter was so disastrous offensively that, in its first five minutes, the score was 3-7 for the aurinegros.

After that collective downturn, Lenovo Tenerife did not wrinkle or let go, and although success is key in basketball and Joel Parra was the one who sharpened his aim the most from far from the hoop, in the end the people of Tenerife found their prize in that crazy finish. After eliminating Gran Canaria in historic quarterfinals, Tenerife suffered more to win an also historic final.

The madness of the first half was seen in the shock of the bulky midterms. The 'Penya' achieved a 13-0 straddling the first and second quarter through a festival of triples by Joel Parra. But Tenerife answered with a 0-12. Almost every attack involved adding. After the break, the despair was great but at a slow level, the seniority of the Canary Islands was key.

The truth is that the game was even at the end. So much so that with 2:19 remaining for the end of the 40 minutes the score was 69-69. The tension was palpable in the environment, the moment of truth had arrived and to show who had the hot wrist.

And, who else, asked for balls from an unleashed Joel Parra who had the misfortune to miss the decisive basket, blocked by an Abromaitis who was the hero, although the top scorer of the finalists was the ex-green and black Marcelinho Huertas. The old rockers never die.

DATASHEET.

--RESULT: JOVENTUT BADALONA, 72 - LENOVO TENERIFE, 73 (44-40, at halftime).

--EQUIPMENT.

YOUTH BADALONA: Vives (3), Guy (10), Parra (26), Brodziansky (3) and Tomic (5) --starting five--; Ventura (-), Birgander (-), Busquets (-), Ribas (9), Ellenson (7) and Feliz (9).

LENOVO TENERIFE: Gardens (15), Fernandez (13), Cook (2), Doornekamp (9) and Shermadini (12) -- starting quintet--; Fitipaldo (5), Salin (13), Abromaitis (4), Rodriguez (-), Diagne (-) and War (-).

-- PARTIALS: 27-23, 17-17, 15-17 and 13-16.

--REFEREES: Hierrezuelo, Pérez Pizarro and Jiménez. They knocked out Doornekamp at the Lenovo Tenerife.

-- PAVILION: Badalona Olympic.