A stunning Bertram comes close to the feat of the entire BCL season: Tenerife wins only in overtime the first game of the quarter-finals at home
La Laguna Tenerife – Bertram Derthona Tortona 93-89 dts
(23-10, 40-36, 59-55, 80-80)
Tenerife : Kramer 9, Kostadinov 4, Fernandez, Fitipaldo 2, Huertas 26, Scrubb 8, Costa, Sastre ne, Badji ne, Shermadini 19, Abromaitis 17, Doornekamp 8. Coach Vidorreta.
Tortona : Zerini ne, Vital 12, Kuhse, Gorham 11, Candi, Denegri 9, Baldasso 16, Kamagate 12, Biligha 6, Severini 6, Josovic ne, Weems 17. Coach De Raffaele.
Referees : Rosso (FRA), Marques (POR), Pesic (SRB).
They do not get the victory but it is a shining Bertram that is beaten on the island of Tenerife in overtime by the dominator of the Champions League season. At the Pabellon Santiago Martin in San Cristobal de La Laguna, Derthona leaves amid the applause of esteem of the 5 thousand home fans after having come very close to a feat that would have been sensational against La Laguna Tenerife. Starting with a 0-13 that could have stunned them, with a sensational fourth period the black and white team created the possibility of taking home the 1-0 point in the quarterfinal series. The +6 with three and a half minutes left in regulation time (68-74 on Severini's triple) and the +4 again with less than 90" to go (74-78 with -1'24" with Weems and Vital), with Baldasso's competitive spirit as the tip of the iceberg (13 points for him in the fourth quarter), already smelled like a miracle in the face of the firepower of the Spaniards, undefeated in the Champions League in the first 12 games and second in the league behind only Real Madrid, dragged along for long stretches by the brains of Marcelinho Huertas. And in fact the Canaries, also thanks to a questionable referee call on Kamagate (foul on the rebound and technical for protests), found the opportunity to overturn the score in the final minute of regulation time, but there Denegri, a factor in the match like Severini and Biligha for the rest of the Italian team, on Huertas' foul at midcourt with 12" to go was very cool in scoring the free throws to tie the score at 80, the score with which overtime went into play due to Shermadini's subsequent error on the last shot.
In overtime Abromaitis became the man of providence for Tenerife, 88-84 with exactly 2' to go with 6 points scored by the American shooter, but even in that moment Bertram's resistance was heroic. Vital's three-pointer with character made it 88-87 at -1'47" and Bertram also managed to have two opportunities to regain the lead around the last minute but wasted both. After the two free throws scored by Huertas at -39" (90-87), luck did not help Bertram because the basket from outside and with little balance by Weems at the end of the 24" arrived with one foot on the arc by the American. At 90-89 at -22", the systematic foul on Huertas allowed the Brazilian to go to the free throw line to put a full possession of distance between the two teams, 92-89 at 14". Tortona's very last hopes were dashed by the three-point error of the possible second overtime by Baldasso with 3" to go. But a game lived nurturing the dream of a very heavy blitz remains in the eyes.
The appointment with Game-2 is for Wednesday, April 16 at 18:30 at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris in Casale Monferrato. The goal is to impose the first seasonal stop on the Spanish there and force them to the "deal" on Wednesday 23 in Tenerife.
STATEMENTS Tommaso Baldasso and coach Walter De Raffaele introduced themselves at the post-match press conference . “We really played a great game, from the end of the first quarter onwards,” said the Juventus winger , who was also the team's top assist provider with six assists. “ We found a way to do our thing and managed to play a solid game, showing everyone that we can compete on the home turf of a top European team. Now we have Game 2 to tie the series on our home turf . ” Coach De Raffaele : “ Honestly, I'm really happy with how my team played. It was a fantastic game, especially considering the physical condition we arrived in, with players out, others injured, and the problems Gorham had the night before. And we deserved to win this game based on how we handled it, just as Tenerife ultimately did. A small detail made the difference: a rebound, a lack of execution on defense, a bad call by the referees. Despite this, we still had a chance to win; I can't say anything to my players. We showed how we can compete against a top team like Tenerife, coached by a legend like Vidorreta. Now we wait for Game 2. ”
