NAPLES. Sin, sin, sin. The Old Wild West lost the Serie A2 Italian Cup final against Napoli in Cervia. In the sprint, the final score 80-69 is a liar, after playing perfectly the first two quarters closed 11 points ahead and suffering the comeback of a team equipped to go to Serie A.
Has Mayo decided, an American out of the game for twenty minutes and then sidereal and unstoppable? Yes, but even more Iannuzzi who turned his finger in a plague of the APU, one of the few: not having a fast center capable of marking it. And then Uglietti’s triples.
It ended badly, but a lost final will be fuel for the season finale of a strong, characterful, ambitious team that, as time goes by, has made enormous progress in three days in everyone’s consideration.
THE MATCH
The beginning is a great match. Johnson basket, Mayo as well, you swear too. Three great expectations immediately on the report. Sacripanti-Boniciolli is a challenge of the benches for fine palates, so much history behind it, so many things to invent. On the pitch there is a fight, Giuri scores a triple in the face of Parks, the guys from the West have the eyes of the tiger, Naples obviously too.
Mayo, formerly of Varese, is the classic play with an avalanche of points in his hands. Also Marini, the former Trieste Parks, has talent to spare. Zerini under the basket has centimeters and kilos to limit Foulland: in short, if the Old Wild West wants to bring home the Cup, it must overcome.
When Schina enters the field and lifts the ball for an alley-oop on Foulland that crushes you think that Udine has found a treasure in three days. Matteo only played on Thursday in Teramo in Monfalcone in Serie B, he spends Sunday playing for a cup like a veteran.
Goes on the counterattack and blows a tracer from the backcourt that triggers Johnson. To rub your eyes. Like when Deangeli, who was training with Parks in Trieste three years ago, lucidly attacks the laziness of his former partner. The first quarter of the APU would be perfect were it not for the 4 turnovers and wasted free shots. The defense, against a really strong team, is a textbook, as in all these performances in Cervia. Boniciolli sends everyone on the field, he has a Foulland still in the dust that with Pellegrino closes the area with a double throw: 22-19.
It is obviously long, but it can be done. And how. Pellegrino fights, makes a mistake from below, Mobio arrives and crushes. Mouth-watering. The problem is that Napoli, which has bad two-point shooting percentages, clings to the defense and Boniciolli’s team struggles with turnovers and some forcing. Too many offensive rebounds allowed. There is competition, often you dive for a ball: it is a battle. And who wallows in it: the 20-year-old Schina. A fury.
The assist for Antonutti is from an anthology. Coach Fabrizio Frates, ex Gorizia and Udine, who comments on the match for LNP shouts: “Already now Schina Mvp della Coppa”. The partial 8-0 of the APU is a marvel (32-23). Naples suffers, but misses too many easy shots and has Mayo out for two fouls to think that the famine will last a long time. Sooner or later the feared play will return. Johnson? He is a team man, he works for the team not for his statistics (4 points and 5 assists at half time).
Assist for Foulland to kiss after a triple from Antonutti. Parks keeps the Neapolitans on their feet, but is hunted down and knocks Italian down with an elbow: unsportsmanlike. However, the subsequent clarification between the former Trieste and Antonutti in the sign of fair play is beautiful. Half game: 38-27 for Udine. It is always very long, but it can be done, that’s all. The period finale 14 Apu-4 Parks is a nice little treasure. The 3 out of 8 from three points is the mirror of a balanced attack. It starts again: triple by Antonutti. Naples has another face, he defends very strongly, Mayo is on the pitch and DJ is on him.
Triple from Zerini who opens the box, four attacks from old Apu and then Bonciolli feels the smell of burning and wants to talk to us about it. In the semifinal with Tortona Napoli after a slow start he had sprinted and won overtime, the Trieste coach knows. He knows that the Cup is decided in these minutes. Triple from Antonutti who understands him well, but Mayo replies. And Sacripanti sets his sights on knowing that the APU often attacks it badly. When Schina landslide on Mayo who shoots from three it is clear that the Neapolitans are definitely in the game. (38-44). Mayo is no longer wrong, it was to be expected, Schina is human. Three triples in a row is the most difficult moment.
The APU tries to respond by triggering Foulland. Napoli returns to -4 with his star who scores 12 points in 7 ‘a triple of Nobile’s table is pure oxygen. Nothing to do, the Apu fight, only Antonutti has been hot for three and the defense of Napoli makes the difference. Mayo and Iannuzzi, who plays 4 perfect minutes taking advantage of the fact that no one can mark him, rebalance the game. The APU is only two points ahead at the last interval (53-51) after a third quarter with many errors. With those two frenzied inertia is now all bell. We need the pinti of DJ, who wisely Boniciolli has made to rest in the 3-4 minutes of darkness of his.
FINAL VIBRATION
Mayo is of another category, he does what he wants, you just have to hope that he is wrong. Boniciolli puts Special Agent Deangeli on him. Johnson drops a bomb, oxygen tank stuff or so. Deangeli misses from three, DJ makes a foul on Marini’s three-pointer and Napoli draws practically for the first time in the match: 58-58. The APU against the Sacripanti area. Mayo against the Boniciolli areas.
Here the final is decided. Triple from Giuri from the corner on Johnson’s assist. Still +4 (62-58). Asphyxiating defenses. Udine puts its heart into it, however it goes, it has made a masterpiece, it must be said. He defends strong, Johnson is lucid to get free throws, but the Friulian attack is no longer perfect as before. Uglietti re-draws from three to 4’30 ”, Italian goes to look for trouble in attack, looks for a foul, the referee whistles him, but to him. And reviewing the replay is right Boniciolli is a fury and takes a technician.
Napoli at 4’23 “has a small treasure to exploit at 63-63: two free (in the bank) of Mayo and also the ball that Mayo scores from three. At 67-63 it is now very hard. Because Naples has more, it has harnessed the perfect APU basketball of two and a half games.
Johnson’s triple of minus three deceives us with minus three, Uglietti, dropped from Treviso in A1, scores an essential triple. Iannuzzi, Parks and Mayo close it because Udine suddenly misses that shooter whose absence the perfect matches had not pointed out. And Naples, which the APU has made suffer the pains of hell, is rampant. Having to find a nit in this beautiful adventure of the APU, this must be sought in that third quarter that laid the foundations for the comeback of Naples. But the opponent was very tough. And it has been seen. Mention for Antonutti, captain courage, 16 points of precision and pride from Friuli.
COACH BONICIOLLI PRIDE
At the end coach Matteo Boniciolli commented: “Now I would like this second place not to be considered a defeat in Udine, I am satisfied with what my players have done, we played with 20-year-old players with important minutes, now we get to work to prepare the assault on Serie A “. It will not be like this, it is clear to everyone what this team has done. And not only in the Cup.
DEANGELI MVP UNDER 21
Then the prize awarded to Lodovico Deangeli MVP under 21 of the Italian Cup was mysterious. His contribution was positive, God forbid, especially in the final. But Matteo Schina?
THE TABLE
GE.VI NAPOLI 80 OLD WILD WEST 69 – 19-22, 27-38, 51-53
GE.VI NAPLES Zerini 5, Parks 10, Mayo 26, Lombardi 2, Marini 10, Sandri, Uglietti 12, Iannuzzi 12, Monaldi 3. Not entered: Klacar. Coach Sacripanti. OLD WILD WEST UDINE Johnson 11, Schina, Deangeli 5, Antonutti 16, Pellegrino 3, Mobio 2, Foulland 12, Giuri 10, Nobile 5, Italiano 5. Not entered: Agbara and Spangaro. Coach Boniciolli. Referees Cappello from Agrigento, Caforio from Brindisi and Catani from breaking latest news. Napoli Notes: 18/43 to the two-point shot, 9/29 from three and 17/21 to the free. Old Wild West: 13/24 two-point shooting, 10/24 three and 13/22 free. No one came out for 5 fouls.