Allianz Derthona reaches the championship final! They beat Cantù and will face Ferrara today for the U19 Eccellenza title.
Gorla Basketball Cantù – Allianz Derthona Tortona 64-67
(23-16, 16-11, 10-21, 15-19)
Cantù : Molteni 10, Zotti Pavlovic, Redaelli 8, Ventura 22, Zimonjic 3, Bagordo 5, Panceri 4, Pavese, Presotto 2, Maluil Ring 4, Alexa ne, Acunzo 6. Coach Ansaloni.
Derthona : Fogliato 8, Solazzi, Bottelli 10, A. Chikal ne, Obakhavbaye, Di Meo 3, Bresciani 6, Borasi ne, Pisati 2, Coulibaly 9, Josovic 27, Furfaro 2. Coach. Talpo, assistants Fanaletti, Lombardi.
Referees : Occhiuzzi, Rinaldi, Invernizzi.
Allianz Derthona Tortona has advanced to the U19 Eccellenza championship final. They did so by completing a long run in the semifinal against Gorla Pallacanestro Cantù at the National Finals in Rome. At the PalaTiziano, the Bianconeri won 67-64, putting aside a difficult first half that ended 12 points behind. The second half saw a strong response, with Derthona reopening the game with a 21-10 third-quarter lead. The game then continued to be played point-for-point in the decisive period, led by the play and leadership of Andrija Josovic (27 points on 7-of-14 two-pointers, 3-of-6 three-pointers, and 8 rebounds for a 31 rating) and Federico Bottelli (8-of-9 free throws), as well as crucial late rebounds from Omar Coulibaly (11 total, 6 offensive).
Cantù dominated the game throughout the first half, imposing its slow pace on its opponents and finding a relentless offensive outlet in Ventura, whose 17 points helped the Brianza team to break away in the first half, and after reaching a maximum +14 (32-18), they closed the half with a double-digit lead, 39-27.
Upon returning to the court, it was a different Allianz. Josovic immediately got them back in the game, scoring a 7-0 run exclusively, with his basket making it 39-34, forcing former Tortona coach Luca Ansaloni to quickly call a timeout after a minute and a half. Fogliato's tap-in extended the break (39-36), and Cantù responded, but after a key three-pointer from Bresciani, Bottelli also began to get going for the Bianconeri, drawing fouls and making four consecutive free throws, marking Derthona's first lead of the game: 47-48 with 46" left in the third quarter.
With their reserve point guard Redaelli, the Lombardy team regained control, and with exactly five minutes remaining, Cantù led 57-52, but Tortona wouldn't concede any further. Bottelli and Josovic, supported by Coulibaly's leaping runs, tied the score with less than three minutes remaining after a three-pointer from the Montenegrin, who also led again with 1'49" remaining after grabbing an offensive rebound. That 61-63 lead would never be overcome by Cantù. Bottelli, on defense, dived onto the court to steal the ball from the opposition, and Josovic's three-pointer on the ensuing play at the other end of the court gave Derthona their first more than one-possession lead, 61-66 with 1'05" remaining.
But it wasn't over yet; Cantù's tenacity kept them alive for a heart-pounding final minute. Ventura cut the deficit to within three with 38" left (63-66) on the break. Tortona's attack missed, but to prevent a potential three-pointer in overtime, Tortona committed a systematic foul with the bonus period exhausted with just 5" left. Molteni hit the first free throw, but in an attempt to purposely miss the second, he missed the rim, handing the ball to Allianz. Di Meo was systematically fouled, making it 64-67. This would remain the final score because, in the desperate rush on the other end of the court, between Molteni's attempted shot and the potential for overtime, a forest of Derthona defenders' arms prevented everything.
Today, Sunday, June 7, at 6:00 pm, the national title final will be played against Vis 2008 Ferrara (live on Sky Sport Basket and the Italbasket YouTube channel), who won 60-57 in the other semifinal against BCC Emilbanca Virtus Bologna: this is Derthona's second championship final in the category in three seasons.
Coach Vanni Talpo's post-game comments: "It wasn't the game we expected. The pace was slow, and Cantù did a great job disrupting our rhythm in the first half. In the locker room at halftime, I told my players to play more freely; the impact in the third quarter was the key to getting back into the game. Today, we were focused in the crucial moments, we grabbed important rebounds, and the details, as always, make the difference. Josovic? He's our offensive threat, and he knows it, but without the contribution of his teammates, he can't do anything."
