LF Endesa Super Cup: Leganés beat Jairis 69-50 to set up Valencia Basket final

Innova-TSN Leganés comfortably beat Hozono Global Jairis 69-50 in the LF Endesa Super Cup semi-final and will face Valencia Basket in the final. In their first appearance in this Super Cup, Leganés will aim to win their first title in the competition on Sunday at 5pm at the Jorge Garbajosa arena in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid.

The second semi-final matched a Leganés side making its debut in the competition against a Murcia team known for being competitive and capable of surprising opponents in short tournaments. Javier Fort’s players quickly imposed their tempo, opening with a 7-0 run before Aminata Sangare, who scored 11 points in the opening minutes, stretched the lead to 16-5.

Bernat Canut had to stop the game in search of solutions, and Jairis then attacked the basket more aggressively. Alba Prieto, facing her former club again, and Sami Hill led the Alcantarilla side’s offence, but could not prevent Leganés from ending the first quarter 21-12 ahead.

Jairis notably missed Lou López-Sénéchal, their main offensive reference, who is recovering from a knee injury. Leganés retained control of the score, with María Espín notably celebrating enthusiastically with her team-mates after a Sangare buzzer-beater. The margin stood at eight points at half-time, with Jairis struggling to create offensive advantages against the Madrid side’s intense defence.

Jairis’ 28% two-point shooting illustrated those problems. Leganés also capitalised on its physical edge in the paint and on the boards, while Laura Gil quickly picked up three personal fouls. After the restart, the home attack continued to target the paint, but Alcantarilla showed its fighting spirit to cut the deficit to four points, 40-36.

That first comeback attempt did not last, however. Leganés’ solidity prevailed again, and an excellent back-door cut by Elena Rodríguez followed by a Regina Aguilar lay-up made it 49-37 at the end of the third quarter. Jairis cut the gap back to four points for a second time midway through the final period, drawing on its experience, but Sangare then scored seven consecutive points to chants of “MVP, MVP” from the stands.

The centre completed an outstanding display with 29 points, 9 rebounds and an efficiency rating of 35. Her performance led a victory of particular significance in Leganés’ history, as the club now turns towards its first Super Cup final. Leganés also gained revenge for its meeting with Jairis in the quarter-finals of the previous Copa de la Reina, when the outcome had been the opposite.

The game, the second semi-final of the Super Cup, was played at the Jorge Garbajosa arena in Torrejón de Ardoz. Rodrigo Palanca, José Javier Marqueta and Laura Piñeiro officiated the match.