The authoritative Bertram beats Varese
Bertram Derthona-Openjobmetis Varese 103-91
(20-23, 54-54, 85-74)
Scoreboards:
Derthona: Christon 26, Mortellaro ne, Candi 10, Tavernelli 5, Filloy 21, Severini 3, Daum 10, Cain 2, Radošević 9, Macura 17, Filoni. All. Ramondino
Varese: Ross 8, Woldetensae 11, De Nicolao 2, Reyes 3, Librizzi 3, Virginio, Ferrero ne, Brown 28, Caruso 4, Owens 12, Johnson 20. All. Brase
Brilliant, concrete, choral. Three adjectives to describe the performance of Bertram Derthona, who, in the match against Openjobmetis Varese at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris, achieved her third consecutive victory and consolidated her top ranking position. After a balanced first half, the Bianconeri progressively extended their lead in the second half, led by Christon (who updated his career high Italian with 26 points), Filloy (21 points) and Candi (10 points). Bertram brings two other players to double figures (Macura 17 points, Daum 10 points) and Radošević to 9 points, an epitome of a team success.
First period made up of partials at PalaEnergica: Varese tries to escape (9-18) with its high-tempo basketball, but Bertram resists the opponent's gust and shortens to 20-23 in the 10th minute. In the second quarter, Derthona completed its comeback and took the lead, before a succession of emotions, spectacle, overtaking and counter-overtaking in the score until half-time. Baskets from Filloy and De Nicolao set the score at 54 all in the 20th minute.
Upon returning from the locker room, Bertram takes off decisively, trying to give a boost to the match thanks to her shooting precision and very clear offensive choices. The 12 points in the Filloy fraction, fueled by great team initiatives, lead the Juventus lead up to 85-74 at the third siren. Openjobmetis comes back into contact with a 0-5 at the start of the last period, before Derthona's counterbreak which makes it 91-79 in the 33rd minute. It is the prelude to the decisive extension, sealed by baskets from Radošević, Candi and Christon: the final score is 103-91.
Thus coach Marco Ramondino at the end of the race: “Beautiful match, a truly important victory for us. At this point in the season we need to keep an eye on the standings, so success is also important from that perspective. Varese is one of the best teams in the championship, a reality we hold in high regard for the identity that goes beyond the way they play. How they are aligned and how they play whatever the score, as Openjobmetis offers you a challenge on all levels: technical-tactical, physical, athletic and mental. Not all teams have the discipline to not accept their opponent's play: for all these reasons it is a great victory. We must be super satisfied with the contribution of all the players who took to the field, because in our small way it is the image of our identity. In a match that is close to 100 possessions, the most difficult thing is to understand what the good solutions are: in transition we played better than in the first leg. Varese made many talented baskets during the match, which must be accepted, and others which instead must be limited: from the 6th minute onwards we grew during the match, even if I can't identify the turning point of the match in the start of the second half".
