Bertram Derthona catches Legnano. Beat FCL 87 to 67
Bertram Derthona – Knights Legnano 87-67
(15-16, 33-37, 63-51)
BERTRAM DERTHONA: Stefanelli 11, Alibegovic, Sorokas 20, Radonjic, Apuzzo, Quaglia, Garri 19, Gergati 2, Johnson 20, Spanghero 15. All. Pansa.
KNIGHTS LEGNANO: Tomasini 9, Zanelli 11, Roveda ne, Maiocco 4, Martini 5, Gazineo ne, Toscano 9, Raivio 12, Mosley 9, Pullazi 8. All. Ferrari.
Great day of celebration for Bertram Derthona, who first received the ovation of his audience by displaying the Italian Cup in the center of the PalaOltrepo' field and then, after some trouble in the first half of the match, went overboard with the three-point shot to gain reason for Fcl Legnano, equaling them in the standings and overcoming them by virtue of the 2-0 in the direct clash. All of this, inside a PalaOltrepo' which is close to being sold out and, like never before, alongside its favourites.
The Lions managed not to get upset in the face of a team with greater athleticism, playing a quality match, managing to exploit the imperfections of the red and whites.
Bertram starts immediately with the desire to be the protagonist. The Lions immediately imposed a 9-0 run with the Sorokas - Stefanelli duo, the latter fresh from the MVP award from the Italian Cup. The first basket for the guests comes from the hands of Mosley after 4 minutes of play, thanks to a great defense put on the parquet by coach Pansa. Upon coach Ferrari's return from the time-out, Legnano seems to have galvanized herself, also thanks to the too many turnovers by the Lions. Mosley and Zanelli lead the comeback, thus ending the first quarter 15-16. Toscano and Tomasini take the initiative to attack the basket, while the Bianconeri try to stay in their wake. Bertram Derthona seems to suffer from dynamism and athleticism on the rebound, but Spanghero's bomb seems to give breathing room and, with the help of captain Garri, leads his teammates to half-time with a score of 33-37. Upon returning from the locker room, the Lions restart with great three-point percentages. Johnson, Spanghero and Garri give no peace from long range, giving the overtaking and the +13 gap (63-50), despite Raivio's attempts to regain the result going into the final act with a score of 63-51. The red and whites continue to be a tough opponent with Zanelli and Pullazi who play the charge and thus return in less than 3 minutes to -2 (63-61). The reaction from Bertram Derthona was quick to arrive under the blows of Garri, Johnson and Spanghero, bringing the Bianconeri to a score of 85-64 with 1'12" to go. The Lions come out to the applause of a PalaOltrepo' packed with people, beating Legnano 87-67.
Lorenzo Pansa: “I am really satisfied for a series of reasons. The first for a mental reason because we played an important direct clash against a well-trained team, and it was a really important obstacle. We then played a very risky first half because we started very well and relaxed. We went into halftime down by four points, conceding 37 points, and having low percentages from the foul line. In the second half, however, we loosened up in attack, also fearing running out of energy. We played a game of great quality."
