The journey of Bertram's ambitions continues between the islands: from the Canaries to Sassari to chase the playoffs. The words of De Raffaele
New island destination for Bertram Derthona Tortona. The black and white team travels to Sassari, where tomorrow, Sunday 13 April, they are expected at 17:30 at PalaSerradimigni by the home team Banco di Sardegna for the 26th matchday of the Serie A Unipol. Having come close to a coup in midweek in Tenerife in game-1 of the Champions League quarter-finals and awaiting the home game-2 next Wednesday in Casale Monferrato, in between for Weems and his teammates there is the important championship commitment to try to get back into that playoff zone from which they dropped out a couple of weeks ago.
PLAYOFF CHASE With five rounds to go in the regular phase, there is not much room for defeat. The current ninth place in the standings requires closing the sprint with one more win than at least one of the two competitors with whom the last two places of the post-season are being played, Reggio Emilia, playing tonight at home against the vice-bottom light Scafati, and Venezia, awaiting tomorrow by the home clash with Trieste. Sassari will be the first of a double consecutive away game that will see Derthona playing on Easter Saturday in Treviso, before the two home challenges with Milan and Naples and the away game in Cremona that will close the tournament.
SASSARI Banco di Sardegna is one of the teams in the best form in Serie A. The 4 victories they have just won (in Treviso, at home against Cremona and Trapani and the last one in the last round in Pistoia for 86-63) have brought the Sardinians coached by Massimo Bulleri to a very calm situation with their tenth place in the standings, just one win away from mathematical salvation and with still some small hope of catching the playoffs, 6 points away, the gap that separates their 22 points from the 28 of the pair formed by Venice and Tortona itself. Compared to the first leg match over five months ago, won in a sprint 71-68 by Bertram with a personal record for points equaled in the black and white jersey by Strautins with 22, Sassari has for a few weeks presented the two new faces of the former Reggio Emilia point guard Briante Weber and Rashawn Thomas, at his second career experience with the Sardinians and fresh from the award as Best Sixth Man of the LBA in the month of March.
WHERE TO SEE IT ON TV The race will be broadcast live on DAZN.
STATEMENTS "Sassari is one of the teams in the best form in the championship, the four consecutive victories have also come with important scalps. The additions of players, as often happens, have given freshness and technical balance", says coach Walter De Raffaele. "We will have to think above all about ourselves, trying to present ourselves in the best possible physical and technical conditions after such a demanding trip as Tenerife. We will have to try not to make them run in the open field so as not to get excited, also trying to equalize the defensive energy in every 1-on-1. A match like the one in Tenerife - he concludes - he gave the players the technical awareness of being able to compete with the ideas and sacrifice of the group, despite absences, injuries and problems".
