BCC tries with heart and courage, but surrenders to Schio who reaches the final
Autosped BCC Derthona-Famila Wuber Schio 49-65
(16-19, 26-33, 42-47)
Scoreboards:
BCC Derthona: Dotto, Kunaiyi 19, Fontaine 8, Conte 10, Toffolo 2, Leonardi 3, Fondren, Arado 2, Suarez 2, Cocuzza ne, Melchiori 3, Penna. Coach: Cutugnoi
Schio: Sottana, Zanardi, Verona 9, Conde 5, Panzera ne, Andrè 2, Zandalasini 11, Badiane 5, Keys 8, Shepard 11, Laksa 9. Coach Dikaioulakos
Autosped BCC Derthona's season ended in Game 2 of the semifinals, before over 2400 fans at the Nova Arena. Coach Cutugno's team displayed all its strengths against the Italian champions, staying in close contact throughout the match and only succumbing in the distance. Thus concluded another great year for BCC, who secured fourth place in the regular season, reached the Coppa Italia final (which they lost with a commanding lead in front of over 3200 fans at the Nova Arena), and reached the Scudetto semifinal.
The first half was a high-intensity affair at the Nova Arena: BCC found solid offensive options and intensified their defense, leading for long stretches before Schio broke the deadlock and finished ahead 16-19 after 10 minutes. The second period continued to be evenly contested, with the visitors consistently in the lead and managing to create a brief break at the end of the first half: after 20 minutes, Famila led 26-33.
Upon returning from the locker rooms, Autosped raised the bar on their play and physicality, fighting for every possession despite losing Fondren during the quarter: Cutugno's team, with heart and courage, closed the gap and entered the final quarter trailing 42-47. At the start of the fourth quarter, Schio stepped up their defense and regained a double-digit lead (42-53), repelling all Autosped's attempts to come back and taking a 49-65 victory and the final.
Coach's words Orazio Cutugno: "It was a game we played the way we wanted, playing with greater fluidity in attack. It was a tough forty minutes, where the gap in experience and physicality was exposed. I extend my congratulations to Schio, but also to my team, all the players, the Under 18s who have made a great contribution since the start of the season, and to the entire medical, physical, and technical staff. The entire team made a great contribution, and I think we achieved the best we could: this makes me proud of everyone. I also thank the owners and management for their trust; we've taken another step forward: I think everyone should be proud of what we've achieved. We're very sorry for Fondren, who has a sprained knee that needs to be evaluated. We all need to improve and try to do more for the future.".
The comment of Francesca Melchiori: We knew it would be a tough match tonight, but in front of our home crowd, we tried to force Game 3. Schio deserves a lot of credit for reaching the final. The season has been more than positive in terms of results, with the Coppa Italia final and the Scudetto semifinal. We played the game we wanted, even though against strong teams like Famila, you have to be perfect for forty minutes..
