Vigevano makes Cividale tremble before the knockout Mercante super, the ducals hold their own

Elachem remains in the game almost to the siren, the winger best scorer with 19 points. Tomorrow race 2 again in Friuli

CIVIDALE DEL FRIULI (UD)

The great favorite Cividale does not tear Vigevano to pieces in race 1, on the contrary she suffers almost to the siren within the friendly walls of PalaGesteco, before winning it with a last extension. Elachem made the Friulians tremble, returning to the game twice from important breaks and proving that they can hold their own against the Udinese squadron. Vigevano lacked a little shooting, but not that much, and suffered from the rebounding physicality of the opponents. The first problem can be corrected, the second was limited for most of the match by the 2-3 zone arranged by coach Piazza. The positive notes are the character of a team able to return twice from a gap of over 10 points from the opponents, also making an overtaking and the great form of Jacopo Mercante, best scorer of the match with 19 points. The lesson to be learned immediately is that the Friulians are not unbeatable and that the double trip to Cividale is by no means a prize trip for a good championship, but an opportunity that cannot be wasted.

Freezing shower

The beginning is a cold shower for Vigevano who in the first 3 ‘suffers an 11-0 break, which forces coach Paolo Piazza to time out. Upon returning, it is up to Ferri from a distance to put the first basket, imitated by Giorgi, who leads Vigevano with his baskets to equalize and place a counter-break of 11 points. Even the yellow and blue manage to overtake in the opening of the second period thanks to Nicolò Gatti’s 17-18. Cividale, however, does not let Vigevano escape and up to the interval the teams travel at par. However, Gestesco is a team to which nothing can be granted at any time. Vigevano’s first three attacks from the long rest fail and on the overturning in front of Cividale he punishes the ducals who find themselves chasing on 34-25 three times. Miani puts us of the of him with another basket of the distance. Piazza is still forced to stop for one minute, in which he decides to field his team in the zone, also because Vigevano struggles to rebound. 39-27).

Yet Vigevano never gives up, not even when the opponents reach +15. The Gialloblu find in Procacci first (two triples in a row) and then in Mercante (even 3 consecutive) the baskets that allow them to remain attached to the Cividale train, up to -4. The two counterbreaks, however, exhaust Vigevano’s lucidity, who raises the defensive center of gravity, also improving on rebounding, but loses shooting accuracy. Peroni does not go into action, Mercante has given too much and the others seem to have no more. Cividale does not do much better, but it digs another furrow and defends the gained advantage until victory.