Besnord Donar wins a shaky first play-off match with Yoast United. Part 2 of this quarter final will follow on Thursday

Donar, who performed excellently in the Elite Gold of the BNXT League, is the big favorite in the quarter-finals for the national title against Yoast United. The formation from Gelderland won three matches in the Elite Silver, but the seven-time national champion from Groningen was the boss once in the competition.

Despite Yoast United’s meager performance in the cross-border phase of the season, the team does have two players who can provide excellent statistics: Spencer Levi is second of all teams in the BNXT League in terms of number of rebounds and blocks and no one scored more on average than Vincent Cole. It was therefore important for Donar to render those two strongholds harmless. The Groningen team succeeded brilliantly before the break, but after the break Donar had less grip on the super duo.

Comfortable lead

Before the break, Donar already made a big gap with the guests. In the first quarter, Yoast United initially followed the Groningers for a while, but in the second quarter the home team took a step back. At halftime, Donar already had a comfortable lead of fifteen points: 47-32

The star in the first quarter was – not for the first time this season – Clay Mounce. The American scored thirteen points in the first company. In addition to his deluge of hits, Mounce’s mustache was also striking. The nose warmer appears to be part of an agreement: the majority of Donar’s players let their upper lips grow over as long as they are active in the play-offs.

While Mounce’s mustache isn’t Tom Selleck-esque – it’s more reminiscent of an actor’s mustache from an East German film of a certain genre – there are players with less of a crop on their upper lip, such as Sander Hollanders (although, together with Mounce, the initiator of the mustache campaign), who, with his endearing downy hairs, has to hope that the play-offs will soon come to an end.

Messier

After the break, Donar slowed down a bit, perhaps in the knowledge that there will be another game in Bemmel the next day. The match got messier. Players rolled over the parquet several times, passes didn’t land well and even Mounce missed a whole bunch of free throws. After the third quarter, Donar was still a point ahead, but in the fourth quarter things threatened to go wrong. Yoast crept closer and Donar continued to muddle along. Too many players chose their own success and got stuck in their way to the basket.

With just under four minutes left on the clock, the guests came back to 66-60. After two good free throws from Yoast United after an unsportsmanlike foul by Vernon Taylor and a three-pointer by Cole, the gap was suddenly only three points: 68-65. Thanks to carelessness at Yoast United and scores from Willem Brandwijk and Viktor Gaddefors, the victory was still secured (75-65). In the tumultuous final phase, Yoast United top scorer Cole was sent off with two technical fouls.

Remembrance Day

On Thursday-evening, the second game in the best-of-three series follows. The match starts at half past eight. The warm-up will be interrupted for Remembrance Day. Should Yoast United win that game, a decisive game will follow in Martiniplaza on Sunday. The winner of the quarterfinals will meet Heroes Den Bosch. On Wednesday, May 10, the first game of the best-of-five series of the semifinals will be played in the Maaspoort in Den Bosch.

Donar Yoast United 75-65

Quarter positions : 23-18, 24-14, 17-16, 11-17

Spectators: 2900

Donar Scores: Mounce 17, Branch 13, Brandwijk 11, Gaddefors 8, Williams 8, Taylor 6, Magdevski 5, Olisemeka 4, Hollanders 3,

Top scorers Yoast United: Cole 18, Casero-Ortiz 15, Nossek 12

Next game: Thursday 4 May, 8.30 pm, Bemmel, Yoast United-Donar