Gaiteros cruise past Cocodrilos to become first Copa SPB champions

Gaiteros del Zulia claimed the inaugural Copa SPB on Monday night, pulling away from Cocodrilos de Caracas with a dominant second half to win 86-78 at the Jose Joaquin "Papa" Carrillo court in Parque Miranda.
The new in-season tournament created this year as a more competitive replacement for the traditional All-Star Game got a final worthy of its ambitions. Gaiteros raced to an early 21-10 lead behind Jesse Zarzuela (188-PG, college: Oregon)'s orchestration, but Cocodrilos rallied in the second quarter with regular-season MVP Luis Montero (203-SF-1993, college: South Plains) directing traffic. The Dominican point guard posted six points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in the first half as Cocodrilos took a 46-41 halftime advantage.
Then came the third quarter. Luis Duarte (190-G/F-1994) ignited the Gaiteros offense alongside Jesse Zarzuela and Miguel Simon (203-F-1994, college: ASA CC), and the Zulia side erupted for 29 points while holding Cocodrilos to 16 a 13-point swing that flipped the contest entirely. Gaiteros led 70-62 heading into the fourth.
The final period featured a unique twist built into the Copa SPB format: only Venezuelan-born players were permitted on the court. Role players Angel Blanco (179-PG-1997), Melvin Zambrano (193-G/F-1995), and Jesus Martinez (206-F/C-1986) stepped up as Gaiteros matched Cocodrilos 16-16 in the all-criollo quarter to seal the 86-78 victory.
Jesse Zarzuela led the champions with 19 points, four three-pointers, and three assists. Simon added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Duarte posted a double-double of eight points and 10 rebounds with three assists. Alejandro Bernal was Cocodrilos' best with 15 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Both teams now shift focus to the SPB 2026 playoff quarterfinals, which tipped off Thursday.