Bertram leads for large stretches, suffers Trento's comeback but wins in overtime
Bertram Derthona-Dolomiti Energia Trentino 83-80
(24-19, 43-38, 65-56, 71-71)
Scoreboards:
Derthona: Baldi ne, Dowe 17, Candi 5, Errica ne, Strautins ne, Baldasso 11, Severini 3, Daum 14, Obasohan, Weems 18, Thomas 9, Radošević 6. Coach Ramondino
Trento: Ellis, Stephens 5, Hubb 11, Niang ne, Conti, Forray 8, Cooke 6, Zangheri ne, Udom 4, Biligha 16, Grazulis 6, Baldwin 24. Coach Galbiati
Second consecutive championship success for Bertram Derthona, at the end of an extremely balanced race. Against Dolomiti Energia Trentino, the Lions led in scoring from the first quarter, extending their margin beyond double figures in the second half. In the last quarter Trento forces overtime, in which Derthona wins the two points.
First high-paced period at PalaEnergica: Trento, led by Baldwin, and Bertram, by Weems, create high-level play. At the end of the half, the hosts extended their lead to 24-19 in the 10th minute thanks to baskets from Severini and Dowe. In the second period the balance continues to reign in a match made up of partials and against partials: in the final stages of the first half, Bertram - with Thomas and Candi - digs a small furrow in the score (43-38).
Upon returning from the changing rooms, Derthona further grew in aggression and presence on both sides of the pitch, finding joint solutions to widen the gap beyond double figures on several occasions. Despite Trento's comeback attempts, the Lions maintained a three-possession lead in the 30th minute (65-56). In the last quarter, Dolomiti Energia made a great effort to get back into contact, impacting the match at 69 (at 37') with Baldwin's free throws. This brings us to a new sprint finish, with the tie at 71 with 30 seconds to go: after Bertram's attack, Baldwin himself misses the winning shot. We go to overtime.
In extra time, the balance remained on the pitch: the team coached by Ramondino took the lead (78-75) entering the last minute with Weems' triple, and extended it with Baldasso's free throws. Trento closes again, up to 82-80 with 9 seconds to go. Baldasso's free throw and Grazulis' late error give Bertram the victory.
Thus coach Marco Ramondino at the end of the race: “Tonight was an important victory for the result, because we are entering the season and the teams are finding their balance. Teams like us and Trento, with the Cups, are starting to have some good mileage along the way. With two competitions it is not always possible to give weight to every single victory. We played pretty well, doing the right things both offensively and defensively for most of the forty-five minutes. From the beginning of the second period we changed our strategy in defense and we were better, more present and continuous, while in attack there were certainly moments of discontinuity. Our fluidity is affected by the fact that we are often changing set-up, I don't think the kids are helped by these sliding doors, even if we have to get used to it. The other aspect to underline is that today, as with Igokea and Reggio, the team made the decisive plays when the match could have taken the inertia of our opponents".
