TORTONA (Italy) - They wasted no time in establishing themselves as one of the most prominent teams in the Basketball Champions League: since the very first campaign, La Laguna Tenerife stood out on top.
Nine seasons in the making, always starting as one of the most anticipated teams to watch - and certainly one of the most difficult to face - they will fight for the title, once again.
For the sixth time in BCL history, Txus Vidorreta's team has clinched a spot in the Semi-Finals, getting back to the Final Four in four consecutive campaigns. How? By sweeping Bertram Derthona Basket in the Quarter-Finals 2-0, surviving in overtime in Game 1, and winning 77-64 on the road in Game 2.
Turning point
Before his pull-up three-pointer with three minutes left in the third quarter, David Kramer struggled to make an impact against Derthona on Wednesday.
But following that shot, which gave Tenerife a temporary 52-49 road lead, the representative from the Canary Islands have stayed true to their consistency.
Entering the ultimate ten-minute partial with a buzzer-beating two-pointer once again from the German sharpshooter, Txus Vidorreta's team ran away, shattering the Italian team's pumping hearts.
Their quick 9-0 run (from 62-55 to 71-55) in the first part of the fourth quarter secured them the victory, going up by 16 points.
That was the turning point of yet another triumph in the Basketball Champions League for the two-time champions, who aim to become the first ever three-time winners in May.
Game hero
Should we say "Game heroes?" Over the course of the years, Tenerife basketball has meant a deadly pick-and-roll connection between Marcelinho Huertas and Giorgi Shermadini.
On Wednesday, they proved once again why they are one of the most unstoppable duos not only in the Basketball Champions League, but in European basketball, generally speaking.
Turning 42 years old in a little bit more than one month, the Brazilian mastermind delivered his first double-double (16 points and 13 assists) of this BCL season when it mattered the most.
If Marcelinho shares the dime, be sure Gio is there to receive it and convert the pass into two points at the rim. The Georgian center dropped his season-high at 23 points, shooting 10-of-11 from the field.
Stats don't lie
Tenerife have cemented their legacy on sharing the ball to always find the open look. Game 2 of the BCL Quarter-Finals was no different, as they outplayed Derthona in assists shared (22-12).
If the attempt didn't go in, they were there. Despite being one of the worst teams this season in grabbing the offensive boards (9.5 per game), they were super efficient on the road on Wednesday, recording 19 rebounds on the offensive end.
They outrebounded Walter De Raffaele's team 44-30.
The Spanish team's paint presence was also displayed numbers-wise by the amount of points scored in that area of the floor: Tenerife outscored their opponents 42-22 in points from the paint.
Bottom line
While Tenerife locked their presence into the BCL Final Four for the umpteenth time, Derthona came up short, but Tommaso Baldasso (10 points) and teammates won't stop dreaming.
At the end of the day, in only their second season in a European competition, they went only two victories away from their first-ever checkered flag of the campaign. For a team with such a young history behind it, making noise in the Quarter-Finals has already been a huge accomplishment.
The ambition is there, as they proved it by building a whole new and modern arena. Getting experience against powerhouses like Tenerife will only help teams like Derthona.
They said
"I am really proud of my team for the work that we had in this BCL this season. We had two big steps ahead in this cup and we moved the name of Derthona around Europe with really great pride. So, It's very important that we understand that we competed with one of the best teams in Europe, that is close to fighting to win the ACB and probably close to fighting to win the BCL again. Really, really proud of what we did in Europe and congratulations to Tenerife, to their players, to their coaching staff. Good luck, they showed what it means to be a really complete team that knows with talent, with experience... But one more time, my team really showed the whole season season long how we can respond all season long with the weapons that we had." - Walter De Raffaele, Bertram Dertona Basket head coach
"It's the same formula for us all year: defend, rebound, and share the ball. And you look at our rebounding we had 44 rebounds to their 30 and we only had 8 turnovers, so for us, if we do those things we give ourselves a chance even against great teams like Derthona. We're happy we won and we get a little bit of rest before we have the Final Four." - Aaron Doornekamp, La Laguna Tenerife
"First of all, congratulations to Bertram Derthona for this amazing season in the BCL. And especially for their coach Walter De Raffaele, and excellent staff, and excellent coach and for sure it's a club with a big present and even better future. I am really happy, my team made a really good job, especially in the first quarter and during the whole second half. Our defense was outstanding during the last 15 minutes of the game and it was the key. And of course, our second options against their multiple switch defense, we could control the offensive rebounds and we scored a lot of points after those advantages." - Txus Vidorreta, La Laguna Tenerife head coach