Derthona extends and resists: their third success in a row arrives in Brindisi
Happy Casa Brindisi-Bertram Derthona 77-86
(18-16, 39-42, 50-63)
Scoreboards:
Brindisi: Morris 18, Malaventura none, Mazzone none, Laquintana 2, Buttiglione none, Sneed 19, Laszewski 10, Riismaa, Lombardi, Bartley 10, Bayehe 13, Senglin 5. All. Sakota
Derthona: Zerini 6, Baldi ne, Ross 16, Dowe 11, Tavernelli ne, Straūtins 7, Baldasso 9, Kamagate 4, Severini 3, Obasohan 10, Weems 11, Radošević 9. Coach De Raffaele
Third consecutive victory in the championship for Bertram Derthona who, after a balanced first half, took command of the score in the third quarter, extending their lead thanks to defensive growth. After having reached their maximum lead (50-66) at the beginning of the last half, the Bianconeri repelled Brindisi's attempts to come back and won the two points.
Positive start to the race for Bertram Derthona, who finds choral initiatives in the initial stages of the race and takes the lead. In the following actions, Brindisi first closes the gap and then overtakes, finishing ahead 18-16 in the 10th minute. In the second half, the Lions found Ross and Weems to be the main offensive players of the break which was worth +6 (33-39). Morris' outside baskets impact the game, before Ross – a few seconds before the break – sets the score at 39-42 in the first half.
Upon returning from the locker rooms, the team coached by De Raffaele grows in intensity in defense and limits the opponent's attack. This, combined with the precision in shooting from outside, is worth the extension beyond double figures, sealed by Radošević's triples (50-63 in the 30th minute). In the last period, Happy Casa made a great effort to close the gap, reaching -7 (62-69) with a triple from Morris: at the moment of Brindisi's maximum comeback, a 0-6 by Dowe-Baldasso brought them back to The Lions' margin is 13 points. In the final minutes, Bertram maintains the accumulated margin and prevails 77-86.
So coach Walter De Raffaele at the end of the race: “I want to congratulate the team and the players because Brindisi is historically a very difficult pitch: today's victory is very important and deserved because the team played carefully. Brindisi is a team that has changed its face and now has a lot of points in its hands, but I think that in the third quarter we put a very consistent defense on the field. For us it was another good performance, with good defensive continuity. The players are understanding how much the defensive footprint can allow us to compete with many teams, while in attack there are very clear hierarchies in which everyone can be a protagonist.".
