SANTIAGO, Dominican Republic – Los Metros de Santiago don formidably maintain their winning streak, bringing it to four matches after a tight victory against Soles del Este, ending 85-83 in La Súper Liga de la LNB this past Sunday at the Gran Arena del Cibao Oscar Gobaira.
Adris De León led the Metros, who now have a 4-1 record, with a standout performance scoring 16 points and dishing out 5 assists. Jhery Matos added another 15 points along with 5 rebounds, while both Brahiam Méndez and Juan Guerrero contributed 13 points each. For the Soles, who sit at 1-4, Fausto Pichardo was the top scorer with 17 points, followed closely by Luis Martínez Ogando with 16 points, and José Familia with 15 points and 9 rebounds.
The match was intense from start to finish, but critical moments defined the game in the closing minutes. With just 2:01 remaining in the final quarter, a tip-in by Familia gave the Soles an 81-80 lead. However, Guerrero quickly replied with a layup at 1:48, reclaiming the lead for the Metros at 82-81. The local team’s defense then forced the visitors to use up their 24-second shot clock, regaining possession of the ball.
In the final moments, José Liriano missed a three-pointer that could have put the Soles ahead with just 25 seconds left, and he failed again to score a three-pointer in the last second, sealing the victory for the Metros.
The Soles kicked off the game strong, winning the first quarter 25-24, even at one point leading by eight points at 18-10. However, the Metros finished the quarter with a better run, resulting in Méndez hitting a last-second three-pointer.
In the second quarter, the Metros gained a slight edge at 34-28 with 6:18 on the clock, before the Soles responded with a 9-1 run capped by a three-pointer from Oliver Ferreiras, putting them ahead 37-35, leading to a tied score of 44-44 at halftime. Familia had a noteworthy first half, scoring 13 points and grabbing 7 rebounds for the Soles, while Martínez Ogando added 12 points.
As the third quarter progressed, a tip-in by Carrasco gave the Soles a 55-46 lead at 6:27, but the Metros made a defensive resurgence, culminating in a three-pointer from De León that narrowed the deficit, making it 66-62 heading into the final quarter.
Overall, the quarter scores were 24-25, 20-19, 22-18, and 19-21 in favor of the Metros.
In other league action, the Indios de San Francisco de Macorís ended the unbeaten streak of the Cañeros del Este, winning 87-67 on Sunday at the Polideportivo Eleoncio Mercedes. With this win, the Indios improved to a 2-2 record and halted a two-game losing streak.
Leading the way for the Indios was Edgar Sosa, who scored 17 points and provided 10 assists. Luis Rodríguez added 14 points and 8 rebounds, while newcomers Kam’ron Blue and Juan Jr. Rosario each contributed 12 points. For the Cañeros, Andre Norris scored 20 points, followed by Yeison Colomé with 16 points.
The Indios excelled, shooting 50% from the field with a total of 34 baskets out of 68 attempts compared to the Cañeros’ 35% shooting (26 of 74). The Indios also won the rebounding battle 41-38 and had 23 assists versus 7 from the Cañeros.
With less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Cañeros cut the lead to nine points at 51-60 but the Indios quickly answered with a 5-0 run to extend their lead back into double digits.
The upcoming schedule sees no games on Monday, but action resumes Tuesday with the Leones de Santo Domingo facing the Titanes del Sur at 8:00 PM at the Club Mauricio Báez, while the Reales will visit the Soles del Este at the Complejo Deportivo in San Pedro de Macorís at 8:30 PM.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor@nnn.ng
