After an all-American first women’s quarter-final in the wheelchair basketball competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the second quarter-final was an all European matter.
Spain’s in their first Paralympic Games since Barcelona and with only one Paralympic win on record were set up against the Paralympic Silver medalists from Germany.
Throughout the first half, the Spanish underdog performed extremely well and pulled up serious resistance. So at the half, the game was still in the balance with Germany only 5 points up, 24-19.
Following the break, Germany turned up revitalised and surprised Spain with a 9-0. With a comfortable margin, the German’s now played with less restraint and made sure that the third quarter would be the turning point of the game (Q3: 19-5). Final score: 57-33. Germany extended its winning streak of 5-0 in Tokyo and secured a place in their fifth consecutive Paralympic Games semi-final where they will be challenged by their European rivals the Netherlands.
Germany’s Captain, Mareike Miller, reflected on their game, saying:
“The first half we didn’t do a good job. The second half, we did a lot better to stick to that game plan we had initially and we really executed.”
“With the tournament we had so far we have really shown that we are part of the four strongest teams in the world and I’m really excited for this team to see where we can get with the medals."
The semi-finals will take place Thursday 2 September:
18:15 – Germany v Netherlands
20:45 – China v USA
For a full wheelchair basketball schedule and results click here.
Photo: Shingo Ito X-1/ Quote OIS
