After a hard-fought regular season in the Spanish league and an exciting return to the European Cup earlier this month, the Spanish teams congregated in Malaga for the 44th edition of the Copa del Rey BSR.
A score of GB talent on the court as Amivel Reyes Gutierrez (Abdi Jama, Tyler Baines, Peter Cusack) were narrowly defeated 74:71 in the quarterfinals by Amiab Albacete (Kyle Marsh, Harry Brown, Ben Fox, Gaz Choudhry, Lee Manning). For Amivel, Abdi Jama had 16 points, 1 assist and 4 rebounds. Peter Cusack had 9 points, 4 assists and 8 rebounds.
CD Ilunion (Greg Warburton, Terry Bywater) were defeated in the quarterfinals by Bidaideak Bilbao (James MacSorley) side 69:63. Greg Warburton had 10 points, 4 assists and 1 rebound. Terry Bywater was game leader on points and assists with 30 points and 10 assists, and had 10 rebounds.
Progressing into the semi-finals, recent league winners and Eurocup champions Amiab Albacete (Kyle Marsh, Harry Brown, Ben Fox, Gaz Choudhry, Lee Manning) and league rivals Mideba Extremadura (Charlotte Moore, Phil Pratt, Lewis Edwards) were both defeated in the semi-finals and met on court in the 3rd/4th place playoff.
Albacete took the victory 68:78, placing 3rd overall in the Copa del Rey. For Albacete, Kyle Marsh had 5 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound. Harry Brown had 8 points, 1 assist and 5 rebounds. Ben Fox had 8 points and 3 rebounds. Gaz Choudhry was game leader on points, assists and rebounds with 27 points, 14 assists and 8 rebounds. Lee Manning had 10 points, 2 assists and 7 rebounds. For Mideba Extremadura, Charlotte Moore had 8 points. Lewis Edwards had 15 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Phil Pratt had 19 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds.
In the final, Bidaideak Bilbao (James MacSorley) took the win 72:67 against ACE Gran Canaria, earning their first ever Copa del Rey victory. In the final, James MacSorley had 4 points and 4 rebounds.
In France, CS Meaux (Helen Freeman) won 81:48 against Lille.
