Quimsa took the lead and the Friday night was all about visiting teams

Quimsa seized the top of the Liga Nacional de Básquet with a 78-76 victory over Argentino in Junín, on a Friday night in which Boca and Atenas also won away from home. The result was settled in the final seconds. Nicolás Copello led the winners with 21 points, while Dylan Smith finished with 26 for the home side and was the top scorer of the match.

The final stretch in Junín

Argentino led 23-20 at the end of the first quarter. Quimsa then turned the game around before halftime and went to the locker room ahead 46-38. The hosts did not give up. Smith kept them within reach until the final buzzer, but the Santiago team held on for a two-point win that left Quimsa at the top of the table.

The round also had two other away victories. Boca defeated Racing de Chivilcoy 80-72 at the Grilon Arena, and Atenas beat Lanús 80-69 in Córdoba. All three winners celebrated on the road, a pattern that reshaped the standings.

Boca won in Chivilcoy

Boca's victory was hard-fought. Racing led 44-43 at halftime, but the Xeneize team took control in the second half and finished with an eight-point advantage. Agustín Barreiro was Boca's leading scorer with 17 points, and Francisco Cáffaro added 10. For Racing, Mateo Chiarini scored 20 and Nicolás Romano reached 19, but their efforts were not enough.

Atenas, meanwhile, overcame a difficult start against Lanús. The home team was nine points down late in the second quarter, with Juan Brussino leading the visitors with 22 points. The return of Santiago Ferreyra and Tomás Cavallero from injury gave the Greek team greater rotation and allowed it to wear down Lanús. Daniel Laster stood out with 21 points, and Facundo Vázquez's three-pointers in the final quarter helped seal the result. It was Atenas' third consecutive victory.

• Quimsa: 78-76 against Argentino in Junín.
• Boca: 80-72 against Racing in Chivilcoy.
• Atenas: 80-69 against Lanús in Córdoba.

The next challenge will be to turn these away wins into consistency. Quimsa now carries the pressure of leading the table, while Argentino will need to recover at home to remain in contention. My reading is that the Santiago team has the balance to stay in the fight, but this Friday showed how quickly the Liga can change: a couple of minutes, a comeback and the order at the top can all shift.