Derthona bids farewell to Liguria with a win: they beat the Sharks Antibes in Alassio.
Bertram Derthona Tortona – Sharks Antibes 95-79
(28-23, 54-41, 75-63)
Derthona : Hubb 19, Pecchia 2, Dalla Cia 2, Pasquazzi, Zumstein 7, Wilkinson 7, Bortolani 17, Olejniczak 12, Maddox 15, Gazzotti 3, Jallow 11, Durham ne. Coach: Fioretti.
Antibes : Diaz 3, Veras, Tchouaffè 10, Castlin 6, Miller 6, Lomby, Parmentelot 8, Boyer 12, Golitin 11, Sakic 14, Williams 9. All. Jackson
Referees : Gonella, Rezzoagli, Lucotti.
Bertram Derthona Tortona, consistently effective on offense, won the friendly against the French Sharks Antibes. The Lions' fourth preseason outing at PalaRavizza in Alassio ended 95-79, paying tribute to Derthona's many Ligurian fans, who once again turned out for the game organized by Derthona in conjunction with Pallacanestro Alassio and with the patronage of the Municipality of Alassio. Despite numerous absences, the black and white team put in a pleasing performance against a French second-tier opponent. The team was forced to chase a prolific scoring Bertram from midway through the first quarter onward, focused on defense, and met with excellent responses from young players Wilkinson, Zumstein, and Dalla Cia, all of whom coach Fioretti played consistently.
The match
With Gorham, Eboua, Durham, Di Meo, and Vene out due to injury, Derthona has rediscovered the impressive stature of Dominik Olejniczak, who is making his season debut after returning from international duty with Poland.
Coach Fioretti named Rufus Wilkinson, born in 2009, to the starting five, alongside Hubb, Maddox, Jallow, and Olejniczak. Miller and Williams' dunks sparked the French team's early game, but Bertram responded with plays in the paint from Olejniczak, Jallow, Gazzotti, and a three-pointer from Hubb, giving them a lead beyond the halfway point of the opening quarter, 18-17. This was reinforced by a basket from another young member of the roster, Brayden Zumstein, born in 2008. Derthona also stepped up their defense, going into the first break at 28-23.
Four consecutive triples by Bortolani, Wilkinson and Hubb (2) quickly launch Tortona to their first double-digit lead at the start of the second period (40-28 at 13'). Bortolani's stop and shot forces coach Jackson to call a timeout with his team down by 14 midway through the quarter, but upon returning to the court Dalla Cia dunks for the 50th black and white point on an assist from Maddox, giving Derthona a 15 point lead with three minutes to go before halftime.
After opening the second half with a 54-41 lead thanks to a nearly 70% shooting percentage in the first twenty minutes, Bertram continued to consistently score, at least until midway through the third quarter (71-53 after yet another three-pointer from Hubb, 5/7 at the end plus 7 assists), before a 10-0 run brought the French team back to within double digits (71-63), but this was held back near the final mini-break, 75-63. The result was settled by Olejniczak's presence in the opposing area and the proactiveness of Maddox, who were the driving force behind the twenty-point gap (88-67) that settled matters definitively for Derthona with five minutes left to play.
The next pre-season match is the Matteo Bertolazzi Memorial, scheduled for Wednesday, September 9th at 8:00 PM at the PalaCiti in Parma against Virtus Bologna.
Declarations
Coach Mario Fioretti: "Despite the very limited rotation, the youth team members have been incredibly helpful, playing well. We'll rest for a day and then get back to work."
