Derthona says goodbye to the playoffs: Napoli wins and closes its last hopes
Bertram Derthona Tortona – Napolibasket 82-89
(22-27, 35-46, 49-66)
Tortona : Zerini 14, Vital 4, Kuhse 8, Gorham 4, Candi 15, Denegri 18, Baldasso 5, Kamagate 4, Biligha 4, Severini, Bresciani, Weems 6. Coach De Raffaele.
Napoli: Pullen 12, Zubcic 8, Treier 2, Pangos 18, G. De Nicolao, Woldetensae 5, Saccoccia ne, Egbunu 11, Green 22, Totè 11, Mabor ne. All. Valli.
Referees : Grigioni of Rome, Borgo di Grumolo delle Abbadesse (VI), Catani of Pescara.
Spectators : 1727.
Bertram Derthona Tortona officially says goodbye to the playoffs. It was necessary to win and hope, to continue to feed the complicated chance of playing the post-season in view of the last day, but the first part of the necessary condition was already missing. At the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris in Casale Monferrato, the black and whites were defeated by 82-89 at the hands of Napolibasket in the 29th day of the Serie A Unipol, making the knowledge of the result of the game that was being played at the same time in Treviso completely irrelevant, where Nutribullet had done the “favor” of beating direct competitor Venice to the black and whites, leaving a very last chance for eighth place for the final round, which at this point became useless, leaving the last spot of the playoffs to the Venetians. Napoli legitimized the success, and the relative mathematical salvation, leading the match from start to finish, even reaching 20 points as the maximum advantage led by Kevin Pangos and Erick Green, while in Tortona the usual pride of its Italian group was not enough, dragged by a Zerini with heart over the obstacle that acted as a source of inspiration especially to Denegri and Candi, the protagonists of the desperate attempt at a comeback in the final minutes, a start too far away to be able to materialize more than -5 with 22” to go.
At the start of the match there is the novelty of Candi in the starting five in place of Kuhse, Green signs the best start of the guests with 8 points in the 8-14 after three minutes, he also loads up with two fouls that a few seconds later force him to an early return to the bench, but there are still the other two outsiders Pullen and Pangos to make sure he does not miss them with the two triples in a row that lift Napoli to 20 points in just over four minutes and with a relative gap of +8. Again with a shot from beyond the arc Napoli also climbs into a double-digit lead, the 17-27 signed by Woldetensae, however the 5-0 by Denegri and Baldasso allows Bertram to go to the first mini-break with a higher morale, 22-27. Egbunu's physical size marks the return to the field to bring the Campanians back to a margin of ten, touched up high by two bombs in a row by Pangos and two free throws by Pullen for 26-42, which means a partial of 4-15 for the Neapolitans in the first half of the second fraction. In a first half of great difficulty in shooting from outside (2/17 from three), with a basket from long distance Tortona sets the -11 with which they go to the interval thanks to Zerini, 35-46.
In the first half of the third quarter comes the decisive push from Giorgio Valli's team, from the 40-49 scored by the usual gladiatorial Zerini, Napoli places a 0-11 to increase to a round +20 just after the halfway point of the quarter, the 40-60 marked by the star Pangos. With the all-Italian quintet on the field, Bertram gives its best with the spirit of Zerini (at the seasonal record of points and rating with 14 and 19 against his former team) to instill courage in his teammates, who with Baldasso's triple halve the disadvantage to 63-73 with 6' to go. Despite Green's shots from the opposite side, the disadvantage remains the same thanks to the stubbornness of Denegri and Candi, 73-83 with -3'. One of the many final comebacks that Derthona has accustomed to this season does not materialize this time, the last gasp is 82-87 at -22” with the tap-in by Zerini, then there is only time for the debut in Serie A of the young Andrea Bresciani. For Bertram comes the fifteenth defeat in the championship, sixth consecutive, remaining definitively stuck in ninth place waiting to conclude the season next Sunday with the away match against Vanoli Cremona.
With this last home game, Derthona Basket's relationship with the Casale Monferrato sports hall, home of the Bianconeri since their arrival in the top league in 82/2021, also ends after 22 official games. In September, there will be the long-awaited return to Tortona in the brand new arena of the Cittadella dello Sport "Marcellino e Pietro Gavio".
STATEMENTS "It's right to congratulate Napoli on their deserved survival thanks to a high-level second half of the season. They also played a great game tonight, using all the talent at their disposal ," began coach Walter De Raffaele 's post-match press conference. We played the first two quarters with an inexplicable intensity, knowing there was still a chance of making the playoffs, even if remote. The surrender and lack of pride we showed in the first half doesn't reflect my way of living and coaching. What does reflect me, however, is what happened in the final 16-17 minutes, despite all our limitations, to earn an honorable defeat—if you can use the adjective honorable when you lose. I'm sorry I showed this at home; perhaps only against Bologna had it happened. Perhaps I wasn't able to convey the importance of this match, even though, I repeat, the player who finished the game had an attitude I identify with, and one the fans and the people of Tortona identify with as well.
