Sprint final in Masnago: a Weems basket gives Bertram success
Openjobmetis Varese-Bertram Derthona 78-80
(23-24, 40-41, 58-61)
Scoreboards:
Varese: Shahid 6, Cauley-Stein 8, Ulaneo 4, Woldetensae, Moretti 7, Librizzi, Virginio ne, Hanlan 24, McDermott 12, Assui ne, Brown 17. All. Bialaszewski
Derthona: Zerini ne, Dowe 11, Candi 2, Tavernelli ne, Straūtins 2, Baldasso 6, Severini, Daum 6, Obasohan 13, Weems 22, Thomas 8, Radošević 10. Coach Ramondino
Bertram Derthona secured their second consecutive victory at the Itelyum Arena in Varese, prevailing in the final seconds thanks to a basket by Kyle Weems. Balance was the leitmotif for forty minutes, during which the two teams battled back and forth, failing to secure a decisive victory until the final minutes. For Ramondino's team, this is the best way to prepare for their BCL debut (Wednesday, October 18th at 8:30 PM against UCAM Murcia at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris).
First quarter with a high offensive pace for the two teams, who also resort to outside shots to move the score: in the final stages Bertram overtakes and closes ahead 23-24 in the 10th minute. In the second half the balance on the pitch remained between the two teams, in a match made up of partials and partials. Obasohan's basket at the end makes it 40-41 at the break.
Upon returning from the locker room, Varese finds continuity in his three-point shooting and goes on to lead the match. In the moment of greatest difficulty for Bertram, it was Weems who initiated the comeback with classy plays. The Hanlan-Baldasso back and forth from beyond the arc closes the third period (58-61). In the last quarter the team coached by Ramondino always maintained the lead until the final stages. Hanlan's triple ties the score at 77 with 21 seconds left, Weems' response - again from beyond the arc - is like a great player and puts full possession back between the two teams. Hanlan again earns three free throws: 1/3 of the Varese guard gives Bertram the success.
Coach Marco Ramondino said after the game: "We're very happy with the win because we saw the different side Varese can have on this court. Tonight, it didn't have the same intensity as the final set against Pistoia, but at least a couple of moments, Openjobmetis lit up, along with the crowd. I think the most important thing for a team like us, seeking balance, confidence, and hierarchy, was to react to these moments. I think we didn't need big plays to win the game; we didn't lose focus when Varese, with some great baskets on heated plays, tied the game, and we managed to produce the decisive play. We deserved to win in Varese both last year and this year, even though Varese has a completely different setup than last year. This hasn't been an easy week for us, because we lost Claudio, who has always given us his affection and loved us, so we wanted to thank him for what he did and his wife, Enrica, who is a very important person for us." our Derthona environment”.
