Bertram looking for a hat trick against Varese to defend the playoff position. Coach De Raffaele's words
No stopping. Bertram Derthona Tortona is called to ride the wave of the positive start of the most challenging month of the season, at least up to this point. What it started in Trento and continued during the week against Promitheas Patrasso, the black and white team wants to continue further to the detriment of Openjobmetis Varese, opponent in the challenge of the 21st day of the Serie A Unipol championship, scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday 9 March, at 16 pm at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris in Casale Monferrato. After having conquered the field of the former solitary leader and relaunched its ambitions in the Top 16 of the Champions League also signing the largest victory of its year with the +20 over the Greeks, the hat trick of successes would serve to repel the assault on its eighth place by direct competitor Venezia, who a few hours earlier, at midday, will seek success in Sassari to temporarily equal Bertram in the standings.
ENCOURAGING PREVIOUS In the first leg in Masnago, in the first away game of the championship, it was a victory with fireworks for Tortona, 105 points scored (a peak in the season surpassed only by the 106 scored in Brescia in mid-January), 31 by Tommy Kuhse (beaten even more recently by Gorham's 35 in Trento), a powerful 22-0 run to overturn the -11 suffered shortly after the start of the second half and bring home the final result (95-105). The Lombards are struggling with a difficult period, 5 defeats in a row that have thrown them back to one step away from the red zone, in thirteenth place with just 2 points ahead of the relegation positions and 10 less than Tortona. With the new coach, the Greek Ioannis Kastritis, who took over after the break of the Italian Cup and Nationals from the relieved Herman Mandole, there have been signs of reaction, materialized last Sunday in the defeat suffered only in overtime on one of the most difficult fields of the championship, Trapani (106-93). The playoff desire of Bertram is there to prevent the decisive change of pace of Openjobmetis, before flying to Greece for the third time this season to try to repeat the victory with Patras on Wednesday. With Jaron Johnson out of the squad and Keifer Sykes released to Legia Warsaw on the eve of the match, for tomorrow's challenge the Varese team "rediscover" the vice top scorer of the championship, Jaylen Hands (17.2 points per game), whose two-match suspension following the expulsion suffered in Trapani was then reduced to one and converted into a fine.
MATCH SPONSORS Cantine Volpi will be the match sponsor of the game against Varese. For the occasion, the historic Tortona winery, Premium Sponsor of the Leoni club, will put a €10 voucher for a tasting at Cascina La Zerba in Volpedo on each seat of the sports hall and will offer a piece of Derthona Basket merchandising to the winning team of the DB Game at halftime and a bottle of wine to all adult participants of the game. Also this season, the Cantine Volpi stand will be present during Bertram home games in the Hospitality Room of the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris, where its wines can be tasted.
STATEMENTS "Varese is a team that came close to winning in Trapani playing a great game. They showed great physical aptitude in defense and we will have to impact this energy to be present on the rebound and limit the open-court play that brings out their talent", the coach's words Walter De Raffaele. "We come from two very important victories both for the championship and for the cup, two team victories against quality opponents. The cohesion and availability of the group are fundamental elements in a long and difficult season with many commitments. And victories help self-esteem”.
