Granitico Derthona: plays an exciting match, beats Virtus and forces Game 5
Bertram Derthona-Virtus Segafredo Bologna 82-75
(21-18, 43-37, 67-55)
Scoreboards:
Derthona: Zerini, Ross 6, Dowe 8, Candi 15, Tavernelli ne, Errica ne, Strautinš 6, Baldasso 12, Kamagate 4, Obasohan 9, Weems 10, Radošević 12. Coach De Raffaele
Bologna: Cordinier 12, Belinelli 11, Pajola 4, Dobric 5, Mascolo, Shengelia 4, Hackett 3, Mickey 5, Polonara 4, Zizic 6, Dunston, Abass 21. All. Banchi
Game 4 of the playoff quarter-finals ends in jubilation for Juventus Derthona. Bertram plays an excellently solid match for all forty minutes, largely led by the team coached by De Raffaele. In the second half, Derthona made the decisive breakthrough between the third and fourth periods, rejected the opponents' strong comeback and gave themselves another dream night in front of an extraordinary crowd.
First period of high-intensity competition in Casale: Bertram impacts the match with the right attitude, finds several protagonists and leads it almost entirely. In the final, Virtus shortens the gap with Cordinier's plays: in the 10th minute Leoni lead 21-18. In the second quarter, Derthona continues to grind out the game, to be precise in its three-point shooting and to exploit the scoring streak of Dowe and Baldasso who, in sequence, widen the gap up to 43-37 at the break.
Upon returning from the locker room, Bologna tries to get closer several times, but the team coached by De Raffaele is concrete and tough, rejects every attempt to return the opponent and places a shoulder in the final stages with 5 points in a row from Candi which are worth the 67-55 of the 30'. In the opening minutes of the fourth period, Bertram reached +16 (75-59), before Virtus reacted vehemently by returning to a single possession deficit (78-75) entering the last minute of the match. In the last 60 seconds, Weems' free throws and dunk and Virtus' errors gave the Lions success, who won 82-75.
Coach Walter De Raffaele said at the end of the match: "It was a great victory, at the end of a game in which the boys played with great attention to tactics and technique, proposing something different in their choices, and then with great heart and attitude. We knew Bologna would start very tough and solidly, we tried to change something from the initial choices, but the players – to whom I extend my compliments – played an extraordinary game, overcoming the problems and the changes in roles. There is cohesion and empathy among the players, the joy they transmit to our fans and the owner are so many beautiful things. I also say a big thank you to my coaching staff. No one would have thought we would take the series to 2-2, but from my point of view the team has grown a lot, with great humility, since Game 2 and now we go to Bologna to play a very tough game with nothing to lose. Candi played a super game, he reminds me a bit of Carraretto from the golden days who broke up the games from the bench: he's having a great series and today he's even more so." Plus, he took advantage of the opportunity and was ready both offensively and defensively, sacrificing himself against Abass and Belinelli. The playoffs are a championship in themselves; it's a mental attitude to know what's needed. We're 2-2 and we're very happy. Now we're going to Bologna to try to reach the semifinals, with the ease of those who have nothing to lose, ennobling the season after playing on equal terms three out of four games against a team that played at a very high level in the EuroLeague for eight months and won the regular season. The series gave us the confidence that we can compete against the best . "
