Spanish
SANTIAGO.- Santiago Metros stood alone at the top of the standings for the 2026 season of the LNB Super League, defeating Gigantes Basketball Club 99-97 in a game held this Wednesday at the Gran Arena del Cibao.
You may be interested in:Knicks beat Sixers and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals
Five players were in double figures for the Metros, whose record is now 8-1. On their side, the Giants are now 7-2. The particular series between both teams is tied with one win for each team, as the northeasterners dominated 77-76 the duel on May 1st in San Francisco de Macorís.
Tony Cracknell scored 20 points and shot 12-8 from the field, while Jordan Geronimo contributed 15 units, as did Anthony Fairley, although the latter added 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Jordan Hall finished with 14 in scoring and Adris De León with 10, including 8 assists and 5 boards.
For the Giants, Luismal Ferreiras contributed 25 points and 10 rebounds, Francis King Fitzgerald finished with 24 units, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Charles Brown added 18 points and Waverly Austin 8 with 9 rebounds.
The Metros' bench dominated the Giants' 33-19, in a match that had 27 exchanges of advantage.
Fourth period battled
The battle was intense in the fourth quarter, with spectacular basket exchanges from Cracknell and Fitzgerald standing out. One of them was a long and uncomfortable two-point shot by Fitzgerald, with 3:57 left, that put the Giants up 91-90.
The difference was one in favor of the Giants as they reached the last minute of the game, but with 56 seconds remaining, De León scored a shot in the paint and against the backboard that put the Metros ahead 96-95. With 36.3, Ferreiras took an offensive rebound, scored, and the game was 97-96.
With 27 seconds left to play, Oliver García hit a three-pointer from the left side that put the Metros ahead 99-97. The Santiago defense took care of the rest of the way, preventing Brown from scoring a three just before the final buzzer sounded.
Remaining partials
It was clear the Giants dominated the first quarter. A 7-0 rally put them ahead 22-15. Then, with 1:44 on the clock, Fitzgerald got a three-pointer that put the Francomacorisanos ahead 29-19. With four seconds remaining, Ferreiras scored two points and the partial ended 33-20. In the second quarter, it was the Metros who showed their strength. With 5:26 remaining, Santiago completed a 19-2 run and the scoreboard read 39-35. In that rally, Gerónimo scored 8 points. Then Fairley scored two points with 39.3 seconds left, leaving the first half 53-45. Gerónimo scored 13 points, Cracknell 9, Fairley 8 and Brahian Méndez 7 to lead the Metros in the first 20 minutes of action. On the Giants' side, Ferreiras contributed 12 units, Brown Jr. 8, as did Waverly Austin 8. The Giants regained ground in the third quarter, being efficient from the free throw line. From there, Fitzgerald scored three consecutive shots with 2:11 left, bringing the visitors closer at 68-69. In the rest of the quarter, the Metros' defense prevailed and the scoreboard showed 72-70 after three periods. The partials concluded 20-33, 33-12, 19-25 and 27-27 for the Metros.Games this Thursday
Los Cañeros del Este will receive the Héroes de Moca at the Eleoncio Mercedes sports complex, at 8:00 PM, while the Leones de Santo Domingo will visit the Soles del Este at the Rolando Ramírez, at 8:30 PM.
