Bertram suffers from a bad third quarter and falls to Latina
Benacquista Assicurazioni Latina-Bertram Derthona 95-85
(17-23, 43-42, 76-55)
Scoreboards:
Latina: Lawrence 18, Carlson 18, Hajrovic ne, Tavernelli 11, Cassese 5, Fabi 13, Baldassarre 13, Allodi 11, Jovovic, Ambrosin ne, Cavallo ne, Di Bonaventura 6. Coach Gramenzi
Derthona: Knowles 26, Tuoyo 10, Alibegovic 12, Ganeto, Blizzard 10, Buffo ne, Garri 13, Lusvarghi, Gergati 8, Spizzichini 6. All. Pansa
Third defeat in the championship for Bertram who, still without Ndoja, played on par with Latina for a while before suffering a 33-13 partial in the third quarter which directed the match towards coach Gramenzi's team. The reaction of the last quarter was not enough for coach Pansa's team to achieve success. The start of the match flows on the edge of balance between the two teams: it is then Bertram - thanks to Garri's baskets - who produces the first break of the match (19-12 at 9'); at the first interval the Bianconeri lead 23-17. Even in the second half, coach Pansa's team finds good offensive solutions and continuity in the three-point shot, but Latina reacts by also relying on outside shots; it was then a basket on the counterattack by Carlson that gave the home team the lead (34-33 in the 16th minute). After Knowles' baskets, a triple from Lawrence closes the first half, with the home team leading 43-42. Upon returning from the locker rooms, Latina started sprinting, finding great offensive continuity and producing a 17-4 run that forced Bertram to interrupt the game at 60-46 in the 24th minute. Despite the reaction of the Bianconeri, the home team continued to lead by 76-55 at the end of the third quarter. At the start of the last quarter, Derthona finds a series of three-point baskets that reduce the gap in the score, but Latina then controls the opponents' comeback attempts to achieve a 95-85 victory.
Coach Pansa had this to say after the game: "Latina deserves our compliments. They maintained momentum for most of the game and produced the decisive break at the start of the third quarter. We only managed to interrupt their offensive flow a few times; offensively, we did some good things in the first half. Defensively, we struggled to maintain a strong defense with two big men, but unfortunately, we're in such a physical condition that we have to deploy him at a certain point in the game. When the game got away, we played with Alibegovic as a tactical four to open up the court, trying to make it a fight, but Latina, despite feeling the blow, never lost momentum. I'm disappointed because my team worked with enormous desire but in the toughest moments, they weren't able to pull together. I'm sorry and I take responsibility for this, while others must take responsibility for not fighting like Latina did. There's a big difference between what we saw this week and tonight; it's pointless to talk about absences because the issue is broader. Last year here, without Gergati, we played a great game with six and a half players, but those players had a desire that I've seen little of since August 18th. Defense is about details, tactics, and rules; then you need the desire to dive down, play through injuries, and take that extra step. We're clearly not ready in these areas: I'm disappointed that not everyone is working with the same desire and isn't focused on the common goal. Today we should have been better than yesterday, but instead we thought we'd take a shot instead of a slide when Latina increased the intensity. We're not confident right now, because a confident team grabs games in key moments. Everyone must take responsibility: the coach is responsible both when things work and when they don't. Likewise, there are those who take greater responsibility for victories, and in this moment when things aren't going well, they must shoulder even more responsibility: I'll work to make this happen. At the moment I'm taking responsibility.
