Fight, dominates, gets reassembled, then Boniciolli’s gang goes 1-0. Italian and Johnson decisive in the final
UDINE. Wins, not once but twice the Old Wild West. Indeed it wins three times. Before the start when he embraces his audience again, then he stretches against Scafati in game 1 of the semifinal for promotion in the third quarter and, finally, in a beautiful final point by point he accelerates strongly. He wins 96-91 and convinces the Boniciolli gang, but he has to rest: on Tuesday evening, again at Carnera, an encore is needed to direct the series.
There is the public after 15 months, 500 people who feel all right and are already a victory before the start. In the first 5 ‘the tension wins. Gentlemen, here we are playing for a tormented, very long season. Keys to the match: Gaines, needless to say, bugbear number, a little guy who can be tried to stem, not to cancel. And then Thomas, along fast that the APU must contain. On the other hand, coach Finelli has the problem: to stem Foulland under the basket, because with his physicality he can do damage. And then hope that Mian, who Boniciolli uses perfectly as a weapon from the bench, is not in the evening, like the other Udinese strikers.
He immediately realizes that Moraro’s boyfriend does not agree because he enters and places a terrific triple coming out of a block. “Soldier” Nobile enters with the mission of the season: limit the bugbear. He does more: he places a basket and a triple with a foul that makes the siren sound. Do you remember? The one that made every triple Apu play before the pandemic. First quarter 23-18, with a sumptuous Mian. And the public drags, and how it re-drags. The siren even sounds for a triple of Pellegrino. The Old Wild West begins a second quarter of a crazy effectiveness: everyone gives their contribution, even the bruised captain Antonutti with 5 points in an amen before the interval. At a certain point, however, the anti-aircraft guns in Scafati would be needed to stop the triples of Udine that hit from the arc also with Deangeli, with the people accompanying the parable with an “ohhh” that says a lot. Dlla desire to basketball, to kick the virus, to smile again thanks to sport even if with a mask on.
When DJ scores from 8 meters here is the well deserved +10 (37-27). At the long interval Udine, with 9 out of 14 from three, 10 team assists and more rebounds (20-14), 25 points from the bench, goes on “only” 49-37 because Marino invents a three-field basket at the end .
But the game is very long. Mian, however, seems to be in a hurry to go to dinner: two triples, one from the corner with the man on the siren that is worth the “pedestrian” investment in May. It is perhaps the decisive moment of the game. Antonutti, limping, understands it, Foulland also with the classic hook and with another 4 points on Amato’s assist, also Italian with a triple that pushes Givova back beyond the Pillars of Hercules of the 10 points advantage. End of the third quarter: 74-60 with a very heavy Pellegrino power basket. Clings to the area, old Apu rebus, Scafati to return below. Mian misses two three-pointers, Musso does not.
And when Nobile falls asleep and loses a ball in attack, it becomes clear that the wind has turned. Two fouls to Johnson: Scafati, under the whole game, magically finds himself in the game: 77-74. Listen, listen, all without Gaines and with a super Rossato. Udine staggers, he is already in the bonus, he understands that he must re-win the game, the most difficult thing in basketball. He struggles in attack, no longer scores from outside, finds pure oxygen, not very pure, with a 2 + 1 from Giuri who gives 80-76 with 5 ‘from the end. We fight, the game is beautiful. Giuri places a triple as a true leader by exalting the Carnera that the lucky 500 whistles like a pressure cooker. Scafati does not give up, puts Gaines back on the field.
Triple of DJ, Thomas shortens from the bezel. Italian remedy: snatches the ball from Gaines, exalts the crowd with 2’25 “from the end at 86-82 and achieves a“ tractor ”type basket shortly after. Round and round is the man of the match, because Thomas misses two free and DJ sounds the siren with a nine-meter missile (at the end 16 out of 33 for the Apu). And yes, the Bolognese wing had also challenged her on her arrival in the past at Fortitudo. How the world changes: 1-0, deserved. But the series will give very hard. It was known.