Treviso Basket, thrilling victory at Palaverde against Brindisi: ends 96-90

Another salvation brick, despite the Fortitudo victory: in the final Russell scores the jumper, Jones stops Perkins

VILLORBA. Oh my, what a little evening. An endless blend of emotions, a concentrate of joys, pains, hopes, disappointments, illusions. Nervousness, tensions. Feats and gaudy mistakes, competitive spirit for a match in which Treviso was playing a large slice of salvation. Happy Easter for a team that has rediscovered the pleasure of fighting, of never giving up. “Honor the shirt” is the warning that stands out in the south curve: done.

Jurkatamm in the quintet (since Dimsa is out) is Nicola’s surprise move, with a Russell who seems revitalized at the beginning and the whole team animated by the best intentions. In front, however, a toast that begins with high percentages, while the shoulders between Sims and Perkins are frightening clashes. The first advantage of TvB (11-10) comes with a bomb from Bortolani, followed by a 2 + 1 by Russell and a triple by Zanelli from Treviso. Here the race rises again in altitude, Marcelo, orphan of the deputy Tabellini (on Friday he took Covid) and therefore with only Pomes at his side, always standing, from the sidelines he is generous with advice and encouragement for everyone.

Treviso takes a +5 but it is easy to change its trend, Brindisi, with the passing game “made in Vitucci”, is not easily controllable and if you accept the run and shoot you only go to the preferred terrain of the Apulians. Gentile, who grew up here and got noticed, does not feel the slightest emotion (7 in the first quarter, Russell puts 10), even Clark, who returns from an injury, does not let himself be prayed for, Nutribullet is back in difficulty (- 4) on a high-scoring evening. It is not a surprise, given the characteristics of both. The Treviso start was vehement in the second quarter: 7-0 and again ahead. And there really isn’t a moment of respite: Chillo puts it from three too, Sims signs the +6 at 14 ‘but Perkins who shoots and scores from three (sic) you can’t mark him. And when Russell’s infinite and useless dribbles begin, inevitable, with consequent forced shots, the Happy House puts the arrow back with Harrison. One of the problems is that Jurkatamm will also apply in defense but with him in attack it is played in 4. Idem, for Akele.

Luckily there is “Jordan” Bortolani who slips a pair from his home (14 at the long break). And before returning to the locker room tense stories between Jones and Perkins, a scrum is formed that produces three technicians (one also for De Zeeuw), just so that we do not miss anything. And there is no way that the match will find a real master: every time someone tries to escape he is caught and passed. But when Gentile also puts it from a distance, with that shrunken shot of his, the first red light comes on on the TvB dashboard. (62-67) The audience, invoked by the coach, does not skimp on choruses and applause, especially now that they see Treviso in a complicated moment. Sims’ pinned to Perkins produces a 5-0 but a couple of fairly generous referee calls for Brindisi cool the competitive ardor of a team that is still holding its own, despite Harrison now traveling at stellar levels.

But it is precisely the triples of Akele and Jurkatamm, the more timid ones in attack, producing the 76-76 of the half hour. Of course, the ease with which Brindisi goes to the basket does not lead us to be too optimistic. However, Russell gives yet another overtaking (79-78) and annexed hope. A Soko cancels a bomb for a foul by Chillo, Russell alternates prowess with nonsense. Gentile, who has never played so well this year, puts 6 in a row, overtakes 85-82 (36 ‘) and this is like a punch to the solar plexus, TvB folds in two but does not fall to the mat and is this is the great merit of him. And then a 2 + 1 by Weezy is worth +2 to -90 “from the siren. But Soko does not control a defensive rebound and so Gentile equalizes. Akele’s reverse at 39 ‘, again +2 in a Palaverde beyond the boiling point , tension to be cut into slices in the head to head that can be worth a whole season, at least for Treviso.

When there are 49 “Vitucci, down by two, calls time out: Gentile misses on the return, at -15” Russell stops and shoots and it’s just cotton. Another time out of Brindisi but there are two different possessions, at -9 “Perkins gets another nailed, this time by a Jones version of Dikembe Mutombo. The hombre of the partido, Giordano Bortolani, seals her from the bezel. And the +6 overturns the -4 of the first leg. In short, it couldn’t have gone better than that. Treviso is alive and fighting with us. And now under the derbissimo, with an extra Erick Green. –