9 de Julio secured its place in the semifinals of the Liga Bahiense de Básquetbol Plata, “Carlos Spaccesi”, after defeating Argentino 81-72 at the Ardubilio Severini gymnasium, according to local reports. The victory completed a 2-0 sweep in the quarterfinal series, making 9 de Julio the second team to advance following San Lorenzo’s progression against El Nacional.

How 9 de Julio Outlasted Argentino in the Fourth Quarter

The match remained tightly contested for the majority of the evening. The first quarter ended with Argentino ahead 19-17, before 9 de Julio edged ahead to claim a narrow 41-40 advantage at halftime. Both sides matched each other point for point through the third period, leaving the scoreboard deadlocked at 58-58 heading into the final ten minutes.

In the closing stretch, the visitors managed to create separation against a side that had stayed within striking distance throughout the contest. Federico Escobar led the scoring for 9 de Julio with 24 points, hitting 11 of 13 shots from two-point range alongside two successful free throws and six rebounds. Lucas Lucchetti added a dominant performance with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Additional offensive support came from Rodrigo Blanco with 12 points and Sebastián Villegas with 11.

Argentino relied heavily on Franco Malmesi, who put up 23 points—including 10 of 12 from the foul line—alongside 4 rebounds. Juan Pedro Paronetto contributed 12 points, scoring 9 of them in the opening period via three shots from beyond the arc. Despite their efforts, the home side could not contain 9 de Julio’s late surge.

Where the Semifinal Field Stands Now

With the sweep, 9 de Julio joins San Lorenzo, the top-seeded team in the tournament, in the next round. San Lorenzo secured its semifinal berth by eliminating El Nacional (2-0), abbasquet.com reported. Meanwhile, the remaining two quarterfinal matchups stand tied at one game apiece.

San Lorenzo Maintains Home-Court Advantage in Semifinals

The final two semifinalists will be determined when Altense hosts Ateneo and Comercial faces Sportivo Bahiense. Once both deciding games conclude, the league will reorder the four surviving teams based on their regular-season positions to establish the semifinal pairings.

Under the projected bracket scenarios outlined by lanueva.com, top-seeded San Lorenzo will enter every potential matchup with home-court advantage against either Ateneo, Sportivo Bahiense, or Comercial. 9 de Julio could face Altense—in which case they would play without home-court advantage—or Comercial and Sportivo Bahiense, matchups where they would hold the home-court edge.