Sweet April, rejoice! A basket from half court closes the Varese stage of the Allianz Derthona with a bang: Virtus Bologna KO at the buzzer
Virtus EmilBanca Bologna – Allianz Derthona Tortona 56-57
(17-9, 30-25, 44-44)
Bologna: Bianchi 2, Boggian 4, Soli 3, Venturi 3, Accorsi 11, D'Aquino 2, Guidotti ne, Lenci 14, Lomartire, Vandini 13, Donati 2, Trigari 2. Coach Largo.
Derthona: Cissè 5 (12 reb), Brizzi, Lisini, Aprile 7 (9 reb, 2 stps), Farias 10 (5 reb, 5 ast), Borasi ne, Korlatovic 2, Diodati, Bazan 7, Fonio Fracchia ne, Albertinazzi 2, Josovic 24 (10 reb, 29 val). Coach Ansaloni, assistant Fanaletti, Lombardi.
Referees: Cassinardi, Castellano, Pitchforks.
Allianz Derthona closes with the final magic of Edoardo Aprile from midcourt the first stage of the IBSA Next Gen Cup 2024/25. In the fourth and final game of the Varese concentration of the Legabasket tournament reserved for the Under 19 Eccellenza teams of the sixteen Serie A clubs, the bianconeri sprint to beat the previously undefeated Virtus Emilbanca Bologna by 57-56 in the morning match at the Campus sports hall, closing with 3 wins and 1 defeat the first of the two qualifying stages.
Balanced start for the two teams that are tied at 7 points with two minutes left in the first quarter. Two consecutive turnovers allow Virtus to place a mini-break of 9-2, closing the first quarter with a 17-9 lead.
In the second, Virtus tries to extend their lead to a double digit advantage, but the Lions do not give up and stay in the game thanks to a 3/3 free throw by Bazan that reduces the gap to 23-20. The two teams go to halftime with Virtus ahead 30-25. Excellent first half by Andrija Josovic, author of 15 points with 6/7 two-point shooting.
The third quarter begins with Allianz taking the lead for the first time with a 6-0 partial (30-31), forcing Virtus to call a time-out. Despite the Tortona attack continuing to create excellent shots, Virtus gets back into the game, Bologna goes back ahead thanks to a triple by Lenci with 1 minute to go (42-41). But it is still Josovic who responds for Allianz with another bomb at the buzzer, bringing everything to a tie at 44 at the last mini-break.
The final ten minutes see a great start by Virtus, who scores a 6-0 partial, Bazan responds immediately with a triple for -3 (50-47). Virtus tries to maintain the advantage in the final with 4 crucial points by Lenci, after the various overtakings and counter-overtakings. Breathtaking end of the game: Cissè scores the basket for -1 Tortona, forced to commit a foul. Virtus thus earns 1 bonus point, as per the competition rules, but Aprile's buzzer-beater 1" from the end from very far away gives Tortona the lead. Bologna misses the last desperate shot and for Allianz it is pure joy and first place in group A with 6 points together with Bologna itself, Estra Pistoia and Vanoli Cremona.
The next appointment of the IBSA Next Gen Cup is for the second stage in Rimini from 2 to 4 January 2025.
