The dark faces at the final siren fade just when the thousand or so of the Forum applaud anyway: Edilnol is defeated on their debut at home in the first of the games considered affordable. 63-76 says a lot but not everything because it does not explain a first half of the match in which Biella practically did not exist and a third and fourth period in which she returned to the game, pushed by a 17-0 partial, reaching -6 and with the three-pointer of -5 spat out by the iron. However, it was not enough when the Assigeco, in the final, got back on track, with the skilled hands of two of its leaders, Pascolo and Devoe, and the surprise ones of Tommaso Guariglia, for detachment the man who started with 17 points (9 of which from the bow) and as many rebounds.
At the duo there is immediately a quintet start for Hasbrouck, with Soviero, Pollone, Davis and Morgillo, L’Assigeco responds with a double play (Sabatini and Cesana), an American (Devoe) and two towers (Pascolo and Guariglia ). The rossoblù start better: Soviero and Morgillo’s 4-0 is their first advantage of the championship. But after three and a half minutes Piacenza pierces the retina by three with Cesana and overtakes on 7-9: the director with the pigtail is merciless to put in difficulty the defense of Pollone who in the other half puts a 0/3 after the first triple of his eight-meter game. He is the first to go out, to make room for Bertetti. But after the 11-13 snatched by Davis, otherwise a fish out of water in the Edilnol schemes, it is the last basket of the entire first period. Biella looks for cuts under the basket and loses five balls in a row. The first shot in six attacks is Bertetti’s mistake while the guests do what little it takes to run away and the siren is dubbed at 11-22.
Hasbrouck unlocks the rossoblùs with the first basket with one foot on the arc of the three points of his rossoblù history. The public continues to applaud those who enter and leave, but it is still Cesana from afar to score the maximum advantage (13-29). The only rossoblù blaze of the period is by Tommaso Bianchi who hits twice from the bow, but Biella is still ruffled in attack and soft in defense. From 21-29 the embankments yield again even if the Assigeco, more than irresistible, is simply more precise: the only basket up to the siren is by Morgillo in one of the very few shots arrived in the first seconds of the action. Then turnovers, baskets thrown (with spectators roaring about an error from below by Davis), little defense and when the teams enter the locker room the scoreboard is merciless: 23-43.
The first positive sign to return to the field is a stolen by Pollone which yields an unsportsmanlike but also zero points because the number 20 misses from the line (one of the thorns in the rossoblù flank) and the next action does not become the basket. A triple from Guariglia marks the new +23 for the guests, with Biella who attacks but does not get enough and, indeed, loses one of his raiders, Soviero who commits the fourth staff. The 33-56 is the partial of the turning point: there is less than half of the period and the rossoblù are unleashed. Like? With energy alone: the defense becomes all-out, the aggression on the ball from the throw-in ruins the plans of coach Salieri, two triples by Pollone also improve the asphyxiated percentages in attack. The following sequence is enough to inflame the Forum: stolen by Vincini, Pollone and Bertetti, baskets and fouls obtained in offensive rebounds by Porfilio and Davis. If only the shots from the line came in (4/10 in the period) the score would be even better than the 45-56 of the siren.
But also the last quarter begins with the rossoblù colors: the 50-56 is a triple by Bertetti on the counterattack and brings the partial open to 17-0. Pascolo closes it with an offensive rebound that has become a basket, a crucial action because it gives Assigeco confidence back on his knees, while Edilnol loses some of the drive that had brought them back into the game. Devoe scores five points in a row, from the arc and pulling out of balance at the end of 24 ” and the home team falls back to -13. There is still the strength to return to -7 thanks to Pollone, the first of the rossoblùs to arrive in double figures at the end of the last period. Vincini has the shot of -5 but does not go. And Assigeco risks on the accelerator: Guariglia completes his magic Sunday with another five consecutive points. The partial this time is a guest: 0-9, 56-72 and the game on ice that only a good attacking sequence by Bianchi ends with a more acceptable partial. It is still not enough to raise your arms on the finish line: you need more conditions, more habit to play together and a little trust. The final applause of the audience seems to be expected.
Edilnol Biella-Assigeco Piacenza 63-76
Edilnol: Soviero 5 (2/6), Hasbrouck 6 (3/3, 0/6), Pollone 11 (1/5, 3/6), Davis 9 (4/8, 0/2), Morgillo 8 (4 / 5), Bianchi 11 (1/1, 3/3), Bertetti 3 (0/2, 1/4), Porfilio 4 (2/2, 0/2), Vincini 6 (2/5, 0/2 ), Infante (0/4 of three), Loro ne, Aimone ne. Coach: Zanchi
Assigeco: Cesana 16 (1/6, 4/7), Sabatini 1 (0/3, 0/3), Devoe 25 (6/7, 3/5), Pascolo 10 (5/8), Guariglia 17 (4 / 9, 3/7), Querci (0/1 from three), Galmarini 3 (1/2 from three), Gaijc 2 (1/2, 0/4), Seck 2 (1/1), Gherardini ne. Coach: Salieri.
Partial: 11-22, 12-21, 22-13, 18-20
From two: Edilnol 19/36, Assigeco 17/33. From three: Edilnol 7/29, Assigeco 11/29. Free throws: Edilnol 4/13, Assigeco 7/14
Rebounds: Edilnol 34 (Pollone 8), Assigeco 46 (Guariglia 17). Assist: Edilnol 11 (Bertetti 4), Assigeco 15 (Sabatini 8)