Pujol Mollerussa saw their chance to be promoted to LEB Plata vanish after a heartbreaking 81-83 loss to Badajoz. The Catalan team had controlled the game for nearly 40 minutes, only for a dramatic final sequence to end their promotion hopes. The defeat also cost them second place, which would have offered a second chance, due to a worse overall average against Tres Cantos.
Following Tres Cantos' victory, the match became a crucial final for Mollerussa. The home team started strong, ending the first quarter with a 24-21 lead. Thanks to the scoring of Pol Rios, who had 16 points by halftime and finished with 24, the team coached by Marc Díaz built a nine-point advantage (47-38) before the break.
In the second half, the lead extended to twelve points (61-49) and remained at eleven (73-62) at the start of the final quarter. At this critical juncture, two open three-point attempts by Duch and Sarrate missed their mark, allowing Badajoz to mount a comeback. A 0-5 run prompted Díaz to call a timeout, but the home team couldn't halt the visitors' surge.
With one minute left, Badajoz managed to tie the game at 79 and later at 81. In Mollerussa's subsequent possession, a turnover by Sarrate (Mollerussa had 15 turnovers in total) gave Dominican player Mejía the opportunity to score the winning basket, making it 81-83 with two seconds remaining. Despite a final attempt by Vieytes (another standout with 22 points), the ball didn't fall, extinguishing their promotion dream.
“"It's very cruel to lose two games by one basket in the last second. We had it in our hands and it slipped away, that's sports, but I am very proud of the team because they deserved promotion. We always showed our face."
