Flamengo takes series lead with explosive win over Obras

BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) – When they come out firing on all cylinders like they did Monday night, Flamengo sure look like the scariest team in the tournament.

The Brazilians demolished Obras on the road, 113-80, to take a 1-0 series lead in the Basketball Champions League Americas Quarterfinals.

 

Turning point: The crowd at Estadio Obras Sanitarias was mildly optimistic after the home squad jumped to a 9-5 lead in the early stages of the game, but that was about as long as the sentiment lasted.

Flamengo uncorked a 10-2 run to take the lead and never looked back, first opening a 15-point lead at the end of the first period and extending it to 23 points at the half.

They would even lead by as many as 37 points in the final moments of the game.

Player of the Game: Flamengo had as many as 5 players scoring in double digits, led by a literally perfect night power forward Kafo Manfio.

The 24-year-old finished with 28 points on 10/10 from the field, including an incredible 7/7 from beyond the arc. He added 4 rebounds, an assist and a steal in just over 21 minutes.

 

Gabriel Galvani added a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Rio de Janeiro giants, while Franco Balbi (12 points and 9 assists), Devon Scott (12) and Guilherme Deodato (11) also had great performances.

Andre Spight had 20 points and 4 assists for the home team. Leandro Cerminato (15 points on 4/6 from the field) and Jeffrey Solarin (14) also scored in double digits.

 

Stats don’t lie: There was simply nothing Obras could do to stop a Flamengo team playing at that level.

The home team shot 51.9 percent from the field and 14/16 at the free throw line, but they were never able to keep up after the first few minutes of the game. Their 13 turnovers and 20 fouls also proved too costly against a white-hot opponent.

All in all, Gustavo Conti’s club shot 54.5 from the field and 16/37 (43.2 percent) from downtown. They had 26 assists to just 7 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 43-21. Their 19 offensive rebounds allowed them to score 19 second-chance points and to finish with a 52-34 edge in points in the paint.

Bottom line: Outside of a surprise loss to Boca Juniors on December of last year, Flamengo has won every game during this season of BCLA and look like heavy favorites to win their second crown after doing it in 2021.

They’ll now have the chance to complete the sweep on Thursday at the Maracanazinho in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, Obras looked like a team playing in the BCLA playoffs for the first time but will try to demonstrate that an outing like Flamengo’s is unsustainable.

Diego Vadell’s squad will try to force a Game 3 on Friday by repeating their offensive performance, tightening their defense and hoping for better opponent shooting luck.

 

FIBA