We are the Italian Champions!!! Allianz Derthona triumphs at the U19 Excellence National Finals
Allianz Derthona Tortona – Vis 2008 Ferrara 93-69
(28-18, 17-19, 30-16, 18-16)
Derthona: Fogliato 6, Solazzi, Bottelli 14, Obakhavbaye, Di Meo 22, Bresciani 6, Borasi, Pisati 2, Bellinaso 6, Coulibaly 18, Josovic 19, Furfaro. Coach: Talpo, assistant: Fanaletti, Lombardi.
Ferrara: Dondi 3, Leprini 2, Baldassarri 2, Tanchella 1, Etame 4, Susanni 18, Cerlinca, Malano 3, Bertoncin 6, Bracesco, Cristao 6, Cissè 24. Coach Santi.
Referees: Occhiuzzi, Tognazzi, Invernizzi.
The Allianz Derthona Tortona Under-19 Excellence team has taken the Derthona Basket youth sector to a new height in its history: the pinnacle of Italy. They did so with a triumph at the National Finals in Rome, achieved with a 93-69 victory in the final at PalaTiziano over Vis 2008 Ferrara, which handed the 2025/26 Scudetto to the team coached by Vanni Talpo and his assistants Andrea Fanaletti and Giulio Lombardi. The young Bianconeri Lions also helped the club reach another significant milestone, becoming the first Piedmontese club to win the Italian title at the U19 Excellence level.
The Roman triumph is the culmination of a journey in the Finals where Allianz won five of their six matches, with their only defeat coming in extra time in their opening match. This was followed by a string of victories and first place in their qualifying group.
In addition to the top team trophy, Tortona also took home the tournament MVP award and the leading scorer award, with Andrija Josovic averaging 23.0 points. However, the final's top scorer was Edoardo Di Meo (22 points, 4-for-9 three-pointers), followed by the Montenegrin with 19 points (5-for-9 from the field, 8-for-8 free throws, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists), and the man who immediately energized the team in this final act, Omar Coulibaly, who finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds on 9-for-14 shooting. Federico Bottelli, named to the tournament's All-Time Team, was the fourth Juventus player to score double figures with 14 points.
The match
Allianz led from start to finish. Baskets by Coulibaly, Josovic, and Bottelli, under the direction of Di Meo, created the first gap in the first quarter, which ended 28-18 with Bottelli scoring 11 points.
Already in the second quarter Derthona seemed to be able to take a decisive run, with a triple from the returning Bellinaso and two free throws from Di Meo giving them a +14 lead at half time (39-25), but Ferrara didn't give up with Susanni keeping Vis 2008 close until the score reached 45-37, with which the two teams went into the locker rooms for the long break.
After a 1/10 first half, Tortona broke the deadlock with a three-pointer in the second half. The second half opened with consecutive three-pointers from Bellinaso and Di Meo, while Josovic soon after equaled the deficit with a strong solo effort to make it 53-39 in the 23rd minute. Ferrara tried again to close the gap (57-49 in the 26th minute), but Derthona was already in control from beyond the arc and scored the decisive break: in quick succession, Bresciani made a 2-and-1, Josovic's three-pointer, and, to top it all, Bresciani's basket from half-court at the buzzer to make it 75-53, putting Tortona firmly in control of the championship at the end of the third quarter (the quarter's eloquent 30-16 run).
In the final set, the black and whites even reached a 30 point lead (89-59), turning it into a long build-up to the party that could explode at the final siren.
The coach's statements
At the end of the game, Vanni Talpo had these words: "What the boys achieved in these Finals was exceptional. The overtime loss in the opening game against Milan gave us extra confidence in this victory. The injuries we suffered throughout the tournament brought the team together, especially in working hard on defense, which is where the 90 points we scored in several games came from, including this final. I believe," continued the Tortona coach, "that to win, you have to suffer when things aren't going perfectly. That happened yesterday against Cantù in the semifinals, a dirty, ugly game, but one that we ultimately brought home. Today, we were much more calm and collected; the boys played with an open mind, and I think it showed."
The satisfaction of the top managers of the Leoni youth sector, President Claudio Coffano and Head of Team Andrea Ablatico, was also obvious. They were joined for the occasion at PalaTiziano by Derthona Basket General Manager Gianmaria Vacirca.
