Bertram's attack is stronger than Verona's tenacity: Derthona wins the league opener
Bertram Derthona Tortona – Tezenis Verona 101-93
(30-24, 52-48, 76-75)
Derthona : Eboua ne, Hubb 13, Gorham 14, Pecchia 2, A. Alibegovic 10, Di Meo ne, Bortolani 13, Olejniczak 11, Maddox 23, Gazzotti, Jallow 5, Durham 10. Coach: Fioretti
Verona : Oliveri ne, Samuels 10, Poser 9, Massinburg 17, Tobey 19, Loro 8, Zumerle ne, Ambrosin 11, El Hadji, Zampini 15, Pantano ne, Melendez 4. Coach Ramagli.
Referees : Gonella, Capotorto, Nicolini.
Spectators : 2.413
Bertram Derthona Tortona started the season by taking two points in the LBA Serie A SisalClub championship standings. On their home court at Tortona's Nova Arena, the Leoni defeated Tezenis Verona 101-93, making the difference with a strong rush in the final five minutes. After a game in which the black and white team had to fight to keep the newly promoted Veneto team at bay, the team that had always been in the lead until those final plays in the game.
Bertram's offensive prolific nature characterized the entire game (75% two-pointers and 50% three-pointers for a 67% overall field goal), with Dante Maddox leading the charge from the start and finishing as the game's top scorer in his Italian league debut: 23 points on 9-of-11 field goals and 4 of 6 three-pointers, plus the basket with a foul that put Derthona over the 100-point mark with just seconds left. With seven players scoring double figures, the Bianconeri thus managed to survive a heavy offensive rebounding defeat (20-4 for Verona) and a less than solid defense.
The match
Two absences on each side, the last-minute unavailability of Izaiah Brockington and Andrew Andrews for Verona, while Paul Eboua and Edoardo Di Meo – the latter also present on the scoresheet – are still unavailable due to injury for Bertram, who can, however, field new signing Amar Alibegović for the first time this season.
The first basket of the season for Juventus in Serie A was a three-pointer by Maddox, the last season's leading scorer and Belgian League MVP, who immediately showed he was having a good night on offense, scoring seven points in the opening three minutes (12-10). Alibegović's debut came later in the sixth minute, with three consecutive plays by Bortolani, including a three-pointer, giving Derthona their first mini-breakaway as the first quarter drew to a close (30-22), which eventually ended at 30-24.
Verona responded quickly and well, with a three-point play from Zampini and a subsequent basket from beyond the arc by Tobey (a double-double of 19+11 rebounds) securing an immediate comeback after four minutes of the second quarter, 37-38. After an early outburst, Maddox (16 points at halftime) added another to spark a 7-0 run to make it 44-38. Verona held firm with a slew of offensive rebounds (20-4 for the visitors) and stayed in the lead with a 52-48 lead heading into the locker rooms.
Loro added two exclamation points to put Scaligera back in front at the start of the second half (57-59 at 24'), only to be answered by Durham's unexpected entrance into the game, scoring six in a row for yet another spurt in the two teams' rapid overtaking, 65-61 midway through the third quarter. Verona responded once again, Loro along with former player Ambrosin, and the scoreline changed again, 71-72 at 28'. Maddox continued his stellar night on offense, making four total baskets from beyond the arc to put the home team back in front and set a 76-75 scoreline that remained tied evenly through the final short break.
Alibegovic was Bertram's key finisher at the start of the decisive quarter, scoring six points to bring Tortona back within a full possession (86-81 at 33'), forcing Ramagli to call a timeout. He immediately called another with Bortolani's three-pointer that ignited the Nova Arena to make it 89-83 with five minutes remaining. Upon re-entry, however, a fadeaway from Gorham—a consistent performer throughout the 31 minutes—allowed Tortona to equal their previous maximum lead, an eight-pointer at 91-83. At the dawn of the final two minutes, Hubb (8 assists) becomes the player who definitively breaks the game, a three-pointer and a fast break on an assist from Maddox for the 98-89 that closes the contest with about ninety seconds still to play, but not before the usual Maddox with a basket and foul allows the home team to break the 100 point mark, to the final roar of joy from the Juventus fans.
The statements
Coach Mario Fioretti: "We played a solid offensive game, with the exception of a few turnovers in the first quarter, which were the only blemish. We managed to put the ball in, play on the move, create good shots with all our players involved, controlling the pace and running when we had to. However, we really struggled on defense and suffered a lot on offensive rebounds, which I think was what most affected the game. Kudos to Verona, who played a great game without two players and never gave up. Well done to us, too, even though some things didn't go our way, we managed to stay ahead with good determination in the final three or four minutes."
We've definitely had a bumpy preseason, meaning we've had players consistently out. So far, we've never managed to train with the full squad, not even one. This shouldn't be an excuse, though; you have to make do with what you have, so today we could have done better defensively despite our current form. Smoothing out a few things would have allowed us to play a different game in terms of the sections. However, the team has a great atmosphere, with good participation from all the players, and now on Wednesday we begin our double-header league and cup campaign for a good while.
(Photo credit: Derthona Basket)
