Corinthians ends the first stage of LDB 2026 with an undefeated campaign and isolated leadership of Group A
- By Mirella Ramos / Central do Timão Editorial
Corinthians closed the first stage of the Basketball Development League (LDB) 2026 with an impeccable performance. The black and white U22 team won the six games they played in Rio Claro and finished in the isolated leadership of Group A, being the only team in the group to achieve 100% success at this stage of the competition.
Led by coach Wesley Aguiar, Timão confirmed its good form by beating Cruzeiro, Instituto Viva Vida, Minas, Basquete Cearense, Brasília Basquete and Caxias do Sul. The performance placed the club in first place in the group, ahead of Caxias and Pinheiros, both with five wins and one defeat.
Photo: Disclosure/Corinthians
Corinthians' journey began in front of Cruzeiro. Superior throughout practically the entire match, Corinthians won every period of the match and achieved an 84 x 69 victory after going into half-time with an advantage of eight points (39 x 31).
In the second round, the challenge was against Instituto Viva Vida, from Espírito Santo. Timão encountered difficulties at the beginning and lost the first quarter by nine points. The reaction came before the break and was consolidated in the final stage, when the black and white team managed to turn things around and won narrowly 83 x 82.
The third appointment reserved another balanced duel. Against Minas, Corinthians ended the first half 30 x 27 behind, sought a 57 x 57 draw in regular time and only decided the match in extra time. Matheus Jamelão played an important role in extra time, contributing four points and two assists to the 67 x 66 victory.
After a day of rest, the team returned to the court to face Basquete Cearense and presented one of the most dominant performances of the campaign. With vast superiority from the opening minutes, Corinthians went into the break winning 38 x 23 and confirmed the result 83 x 55.
Next, Wesley Aguiar's men faced Brasília Basquete. After a balanced start, Timão took control of the match from the second quarter onwards, gradually opened up the advantage and closed the match with a convincing victory by 92 x 58.
The end of the first stage took place against Caxias do Sul, the opponent who offered the greatest resistance of the campaign. Corinthians won the first quarter 18 x 14, but went into the break at a disadvantage after the reaction of the team from Rio Grande do Sul. Upon returning from the dressing rooms, however, Timão regained control of the match, turned the score around in the third period and confirmed their sixth consecutive victory by scoring 82 x 78.
With the results, Corinthians finished the first phase in sole leadership of Group A with six wins in six matches. Caxias do Sul and Pinheiros completed the classification sequence, both with five victories.
In this edition of LDB, the 24 participants were divided into two groups of 12 teams, internally separated into two subgroups with six clubs each. During the first stage, each team faced only members of the opposite subgroup within its own group. Following the competition, scheduled to take place between July and August, clashes will now be held between clubs from the same subgroup.
The second stage will have venues distributed between Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Paulistano and Flamengo. At the end of this phase, the four best placed in each group advance to the Gold Series, which will define the season champion between September 14th and 19th.
The teams that finish between fifth and eighth place will compete in the Silver Series, scheduled to take place between September 12th and 17th. The venues for the decisive phases are yet to be confirmed by the competition organizers.
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Source: Timao Central