In Piedmont 63 points, this time 28 (1/6 from three), someone actually dead father. Since mathematics is not an opinion, the difference is (also) here. Also but not only, because then the reasons for discussion for this defeat are more than one.
First of all the debut of the two new players: Ellis, perhaps still a little shy, is one who however knows how to move well and has presence, on Invernizzi let’s pretend that the real debut will be on Saturday. Not everything went wrong, of course. Faggian is now a sapper who is conquering more and more space, Sorokas is snatching the title of leader from Banks and the group’s desire to never give up is a precious prerogative that will come in handy in the future. Waiting for the insertion of the newly arrived couple to produce slightly juicier fruits.
In the beginning it’s a festival of three-pointers, almost all of them on target: the ball moves quickly on both sides, good shots are born. Ellis, who unlike Cooke, cheering on the sidelines, knows how to play back to basket, scores his first basket in the 4th minute, Tortona shoots without problems as soon as he has some space, Macura and Daum already score: 14-14 at 6′. And shortly after, Invernizzi’s moment came. Here Tortona gives the first danger signal by putting in a 6-0, with Nicola giving up both basket twins.
Faggian is not afraid of anything and takes two rebounds in attack: 22-23. But he always commands the Bertram, which moves with enviable synchronism, something our team is less able to do now. So Ike & Agent 0 are back on the pitch, which certainly weren’t Casale’s last night: the -1 is a triple from Zanelli. And on the other side there is always someone ready to cause damage: first Harper then Filloy put it from afar, 27-33 in the 15th minute. And it’s another ring to take into consideration: you’re not third in the standings by chance. TvB’s difficulties are then accentuated by suffering from rebounding, attack or defense it makes no difference. And without them, as you know, you can’t race: then it will go better, of course, but under 19 it’s hard to recover.
Sorokas invents two bombs that somehow keep his team afloat but the wingers are always missing because even Invernizzi, hoping it’s only because he’s still lost (first points, from the line, after 29 minutes), never really sees the basket. And then it’s already so much that, given the trend, he goes to rest on -4. Then it happens that at the beginning of the second half Banks, who does more damage than anything else (loses the ball on a throw-in), and Jurkatamm fail two rather easy supports. Therefore Tortona (let’s face it: rather protected by the referee trio, but it is the fate of the small ones against the big ones) gets back on the run, and this time it’s the good one because it reaches double figures: 43-60 in the 27th minute with a double triple by Daum.
The third and final clue creates the proof: the game is now marked, with an advance which, however, given the premises, was not foreseen. The Nutribullet systematically crashes into a black and white wall that obscures her basket, in a third quarter in which, as sometimes happens, she scores with a dropper. Sorokas, extraordinary for his abnegation but also for the contribution he provides, signs the -12, then also a -10 (35′) and then from three a -7, Faggian (record playing time, 15′, deserved) continues to annoy to every opponent but it is still too little against a granite Betram, with an Olympic calm and, above all, with a quiver very rich in barbs. Sorokas even misses the -4 in the 37th minute, Ike puts in the -6 in the last minute then Christon closes it (let’s avoid reporting the jokes heard on the surname).
And in short, it ends with the classic honorable defeat before one of the fundamental matches, that of Verona. There will certainly be two much heavier points up for grabs.