Sesi Franca beats Paulistano and is the first NBB semifinalist

Jhonatan scored 19 points for Sesi Franca (Marcos Limonti / SFB)

Sesi Franca is in another final of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). This Wednesday (8), the current two-time champions of the competition beat Paulistano 80-73 and closed the quarter-final series 3-0. In the next phase, Franca can repeat last season’s final with São Paulo.

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The highlight of the match was Jhonatan. The player scored 19 points and was Sesi Franca’s top scorer. In addition to him, Lucas Dias, Márcio, Scala, David Jackson and Hinkle ended the match with double-digit scores. Crescenzi, from Paulistano, scored 24 points and was the scorer in the match.

In the NBB semifinal, Sesi Franca now awaits the definition of the confrontation between São Paulo and Minas. The series between the two teams goes to the third game, with a victory for each side. If the São Paulo tricolor qualifies, the duel will be a repeat of last season’s final, from which Franca emerged with the title.

Franca holds back reaction at the end

As in the two previous matches, Paulistano sold the defeat dearly. Although they were behind on the scoreboard in the first three quarters of the game, the team from the capital looked for a late reaction.

With a 15-4 lead in the last period, the home team reduced a 16-point gap with just over 3 minutes remaining until the clock ran out. Paulistano still had some chances to tie the score, but wasted the shots and saw Franca survive on free throws and guarantee the victory.