Real Madrid sweeps Barcelona to win Spanish crown and complete historic season

Real Madrid completed a historic season by sweeping archrival FC Barcelona in the Spanish League finals Wednesday to win its 32nd domestic championship. Los Blancos won 85-90 to take the best-of-five series in the minimum three games. Jaycee Carrol led the attack with 19 points, including a clutch jumper with 14.3 seconds remaining that help seal the win. Sergio Rodriguez added 11 points and 6 assists, Andres Nocioni also scored 11 and Sergio Llull and Jonas Maciulis netted 10 points apiece. The victory made Madrid the first club in Spanish history to win four senior titles – the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, Spanish League, Copa del Rey and Supercup. It also became the first club to win Spanish crowns in four different age groups in one season; Madrid had previously won the cadet, junior and youth divisions. An unstoppable Ante Tomic scored 8 points as Barcelona built an early 11-8 lead, but K.C. Rivers scored 5 points to give Madrid the lead. Tomic added two more baskets and Barcelona tied the score at 17-17 after 10 minutes. Back-to-back threes by Carroll and Rodriguez helped the visitors soar to a 22-30 advantage early in the second quarter. Tomic reached 16 first-half points, but Carroll added another three and Rodriguez gave Madrid its first double-digit lead. The difference sat at 34-48 at halftime. Barcelona took charge with a run of 16 unanswered points in the third quarter – capped by back-to-back Alex Abrines three-pointers – to take a 67-62 lead. However a Rodriguez triple made it 67-65 at the end of the quarter and he and Carrol each connected from downtown to open the fourth. Brad Oleson’s three-pointer made it 71-73, but a 2-11 Madrid charge put the visitors in complete control. Barcelona made a late run and closed to within 3 with 36 seconds remaining, but Carroll’s step-back jumper over Oleson with 14.3 seconds left all but sealed a Madrid victory and championship. Tomic finished with 29 points on 14-of-15 shooting plus 7 rebounds for Barcelona. Abrines added 16 points on 4-of-8 threes and Tomas Satoransky totaled 10 points and 8 assists in defeat.

Dinamo Sassari forces Game 7 in Italy after memorable 3OT victory

Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari outlasted Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 115-108 Wednesday night in a triple-overtime thriller to force a do-or-die Game 7 in the Italian league finals. Jerome Dyson and David Logan took over in the third overtime period to lead Sassari after the team staved off elimination earlier in the game. Dyson finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, while Logan totaled 23 points. Shane Lawal posted 25 points and 16 rebounds for the winners before fouling out and Rakim Sanders added 18 points and 8 boards. Sassari scored the first 4 points of the game, finished the first quarter up 24-20 and extended the difference to 7 after Jeff Brooks opened the second quarter with a basket-plus-foul. Before long, Reggio Emilia rallied to tie it and then led by as many as 6 on an Amedeo Della Valle three-pointer. Sassari tied it at 43-43 for halftime. Sassari jumped ahead early in the second half, but the visitors came right back and the teams entered the fourth quarter with Reggio Emilia holding a 63-64 edge. Things remained close the rest of the way; it was tied with 90 seconds left when Dyson stole a pass and took it in for a slam and a 78-76 lead. Achille Polonara tied it with a layup and Dyson was called for an offensive foul with 17.7 seconds remaining in regulation time, but Andrea Cinciarini missed a shot to win the game and series at the end of regulation. Neither team could separate itself from the other in the first overtime session until Polonara sank a three that broke an 85-85 tie with 1:08 remaining and Rimantas Kaukenas’s steal and layup put Reggio Emilio up 5, but Logan buried a clutch triple and Dyson drove through the Reggio Emilio defense and dunked with 2.5 seconds left in the period to make it 90-90 and force a second overtime. Sassari took over at the start of the second overtime period by scoring the first 5 points – the last 2 of which came on a soaring slam from Logan. But Lawal fouled out by committing an unsportsmanlike foul on Riccardo Cervi and after his free throws and 2 more by Della Valle, it was 97-96 with two minutes left. Della Valle then put Reggio Emilia on top with a minute to go before Dyson split free throws that tied it at 98-98. Both teams missed their final shots of the session and the game went to another overtime period. A triple by Logan and two more by Dyson gave Sassari a promising cushion halfway through the third overtime period. Dyson added a jumper that made it 109-102 with 1:50 to go and Sassari held on for an unforgettable result. Della Valle led Reggio Emilia with 25 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting, Kaukenas scored 20 and Cinciarini finished with 12 points and 8 assists.