Three triples in the final minutes decide the scrimmage with Cantù for Derthona
Bertram Derthona Tortona – Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù 78-76
(14-21, 33-40, 58-58)
Derthona : Eboua 13, Hubb 17, Gorham 5, Pecchia 3, Dalla Cia ne, Di Meo, Vene 2, Wilkinson ne, Bortolani 18, Maddox 10, Gazzotti, Jallow 10. Coach Fioretti.
Cantù : Christon 2, Flagg 19, Gravett 12, Okeke 6, Moraschini 8, Parravicini 6, Ventura, Miles 3, Brown 16, Grazulis 2, L. Udom 2. All. Vitucci.
Referees : Quarta, Giovagnini, Caneva.
Bertram Derthona Tortona secured a dramatic victory in their third friendly of the season. The home team beat Acqua S. Bernardo Cantù 78-76 in the closed-door home game at the Cittadella dello Sport facility. The victory came with a turnaround in the second half, overcoming a rebounding deficit that was decidedly favorable to the Brianza team (50-34), partly due to another absence from the Juventus forward department, Justin Gorham playing just six minutes due to injury.
The match
Aljami Durham, recovering from a muscle injury, and Polish national team center Dominik Olejniczak were still absent from Bertram, with Cantù at full strength for their first game of the season. The Brianza team got off to a better start, carrying their momentum from an initial 0-6 lead into the opening quarter, which ended with a 7-14 lead, having first reached it at 11-18 with Parravicini's three-pointer.
Parravicini, again from longer range, gave the visitors a double-digit lead on the first play of the second period, 14-24. Former Derthona player Bortolani (13 points at halftime, 3-of-5 from three) closed the gap for Derthona, scoring all seven of the team's initial points (21-25 in the 14th minute), and also making his presence felt on defense. But Flagg and Brown (both with 11 points at halftime) helped maintain Cantù's lead at halftime, 33-40.
At the start of the second half, three baskets by Eboua kept Derthona in the running, and when Maddox stole the ball at midcourt and finished with a dunk, the Bianconeri found themselves within 1 point halfway through the third quarter. Shortly after, they made their first lead of the match with a three-pointer by the American guard, making it 55-53 in the 27th minute.
The final quarter started with the score tied at 58, and with three minutes to go, the score was still essentially the same, 68-69 after a 2-1 from Hubb and a dunk from Eboua. A hat trick of three consecutive bombs from Bortolani, Hubb, and Jallow turned the tables, bringing Derthona to a 77-73 lead with just 47 seconds left. The usual Flagg gave the Brianza team another boost (77-76), after a systematic foul from Jallow, he scored 1/2, and on Cantù's final run at the other end, Flagg failed to repeat his feat for the winning three-pointer.
The next scrimmage for the black and whites will once again be on the Facility's parquet, on Wednesday 2 September at 17:30 pm against the Swiss Lions Geneva.
Declarations
Coach Mario Fioretti: "A classic preseason game, lots of mistakes, but a good attitude from everyone. These two teams are at different stages of preparation; Cantù started a week later than us. We're still thinking about how to make some small steps forward in various areas."
