Derthona awaits Cecina in the semi-final
Game 3 – Playoff quarter-finals
DERTHONA BEARS – EXPO INOX MORTARA 81-65 (22-18, 22-19, 24-17, 21-11)
DERTHONA: ROTONDO 25, Vitali 8, Stanojevic, GIORIA 16, VENUTO 8, Gatti 3, SAMOGGIA 14, Strotz ne, Gay, VIGLIANISI 7. Coach Arioli
MORTARA: DEL SORBO 16, Fant 3, Avanzini, CAVALLARO 12, GRUGNETTI 14, MOSSI 13, Ratti A., Manuelli 3, Bossi ne, DI PAOLA 4. Coach Zanellati
Derthona closes the Mortara practice in the third match of the quarter-finals of the playoffs and enters the semi-final where they will face the only Tuscan team left, Cecina, while on the other side the Emilian teams Piacenza and Cento will clash. In the "beautiful" match with Mortara the Bianconeri struggled quite a bit to tame the resistance of the Lomellini, who also showed up at the PalaCamagna without the pivot Tardito, in the stands with a cast (fractured the scaphoid of the left hand in game 2).
The input was immediately to take advantage of the guest's lack of centimeters under the scoreboards, but the Pavia team's excellent long-range percentages managed to elude the home team's intentions for more than two halves. From the start, in fact, Rotondo seems to have an easy time under the boards, but the rearguard has to deal with the bombs of Grugnetti and Del Sorbo and the score seems to be elastic with Derthona who in the final (bomb from Samoggia) seems to want to escape (22 -18). Always with triples, Mossi & co. they regained the lead of the match halfway through the second half and it took all of Gioria's determination to bring the Tortona team back ahead, with a run of 10 consecutive individual points, before Venuto set the score at 44-37 at half time.
The second half starts with a series of baskets from underneath by Rotondo, but the Grugnetti-Del Sorbo pair is still not there, bringing Mortara back into contact, and only in the final quarter with Samoggia, Viglianisi and Vitali are the Lomellini pushed back 60- 54.
Even the start of the last fraction is an unknown with Vitali putting in a bomb followed by an inappropriate technical from Gatti, but immediately after (finally) the fate of the match seems to clear up: Di Paola and Mossi commit the 5th foul while Del Sorbo he has problems with an ankle. The descent begins for Derthona: despite a few too many efforts from outside, it is easy to break through the host defense, dominating the areas with Samoggia (14 p and 12 r) and Rotondo (25 p and 5 r) and the advantage grows until the final liberating siren : 81-65.
Now it's Cecina's turn who got the better of Pavia after three matches, surprisingly losing the first at home and equally unexpectedly winning in Lombardy and then confirming, with difficulty, in the beautiful one. Derthona beat the Tuscans twice in the championship: 78-59 in the first leg in Tortona with a good performance from the Juventus collective (Viglianisi's debut) and 67-59 in the return match on the Tyrrhenian coast thanks to excellent shooting percentages and despite the absence of Viglianisi injured.
But the Tuscans are certainly a team that, although on average young, is very dangerous as well as expert in this category and is growing. It will inevitably be another tough series, complete with a midweek away match that is certainly not easy (Wednesday 28th at 21.00pm). However, one thing at a time: game 1 is scheduled for Saturday evening at 21.15pm at PalaCamagna, which, as was the case against Mortara, thanks to the contribution of the local fans, could prove to be the extra weapon of our Lions!
