Perfect night in Casale: a Gran Derthona beats Virtus
Bertram Derthona-Virtus Segafredo Bologna 89-81
(29-22, 48-33, 68-59)
Derthona: Christon 13, Mortellaro ne, Candi 9, Tavernelli, Filloy 8, Severini 7, Harper 7, Daum 10, Cain 7, Radošević 6, Macura 22. Coach Ramondino
Virtus: Faldini ne, Belinelli 24, Pajola 10, Bako 6, Jaiteh 4, Lundberg 17, Martini ne, Shengelia 4, Hackett 5, Mickey 7, Camara ne, Weems 4. Coach Scariolo
One of the most beautiful evenings in the history of Bertram Derthona, in a warm and full arena in every seating order, against a very high level opponent. A match difficult to forget for the over 3000 people of Tortona's Juventus faith who flocked to the stadium to witness a test of maturity, concreteness and solidity of the team coached by coach Ramondino, capable of leading right from the start, resisting the outbursts of Virtus and locking down – at least – third place in the standings at the end of the first round.
In a setting with great opportunities at the PalaEnergica, Bertram starts with energy and effective solutions in attack, immediately placing an important break (9-2). The reaction of the opponents doesn't take long to be felt: thanks to some great plays, Virtus gets back in touch (14-12 with 5'19''). A mini break of 9-2 ending with a triple plus a foul by Macura brings the home team up 9 with 3'22 left. Bako responds from underneath and the first quarter ends 29-22. In the second half the boys trained by coach Ramondino widen the gap and reach +10. Thanks to an excellent fluidity of the ball in attack and an aggressive defense they repel all the opponents' attempts to return. In the final seconds Macura's assist for Harper gives Bertram a basket and a foul and sends the teams to the locker rooms at 48-33.
Upon returning from the changing rooms, Derthona, thanks to the great continuity in both halves of the pitch and the excellent percentages from outside, updated their maximum lead to +19 (61-42). Virtus, with the play of Belinelli and Hackett, signs a counterbreak of 7-14 with which they close the gap: in the 30th minute the score is 68-59. A wildcard at the end of the 24" from Filloy opens the final period, Candi fuels the favorable moment for the Bianconeri who reach +15 again (74-59). Lundberg and Belinelli keep Bologna afloat and allow them to progressively close the gap, returning to below double figures in the final minutes (-7, 86-79, 2 minutes from the end with Mickey's triple). Here, despite the great pressure from the opponent, Bertram maintains great clarity, moves the ball well and finds the baskets that seal the deserved success, which arrives with the score of 89-81.
Thus coach Marco Ramondino at the end of the race: “For my part, a huge thank you to tonight's crowd: for me and for the players, taking to the pitch with this enthusiasm is wonderful. I also want to thank the Club very much for allowing us to have excellent players, the team is making a great effort to find cohesion and continuity throughout the season. Tonight we had an important impact against an opponent who is a point of reference: entering the game with determination and clarity, without allowing them to calibrate themselves against a team of different size was a factor, as was having rejected the moments of great toughness in the Virtus in attempts to get back into contact. Today we played as a team, making good choices and remaining clear in the different things we did defensively against an opponent who required them. We also had a significant contribution from the players coming off the bench, going to the second and third offensive options in various actions, with all the players employed.".
