BASKETBALL A1 – Magnolia, end-of-year celebrations at “Taliercio”. Sabatelli’s girls beat Reyer Venezia at home and consolidate the ranking while waiting for the Italian Cup

UMANA REYER VENICE-THE MOLISANA MAGNOLIA CAMPOBASSO 50-55

(15-10, 24-20; 34-40)

Venezia: Santucci 8 (0/2, 2/4), Dojkic 10 (4/10, 0/6), Charles 12 (4/8, 0/2), Nicolodi, Cubaj 8 (4/4, 0/3); Holmes 6 (1/4, 0/4), Mavunga 2 (1/3, 0/1), Pasa, Fassina 2 (1/2), Pan 2 (1/1, 0/1). All.: Mazzon.

Magnolia CB: Morrison 5 (0/2, 1/4), Simon 6 (2/3, 0/4), Makurat 6 (3/8, 0/3), Madera 9 (3/4, 0/3), Gray 13 (6/9, 0/1); Miccoli 9 (4/8, 0/1), Giacchetti 2 (1/2, 0/1), Trimboli 5 (0/5, 1/4), Ceré. Ne: Pastrello and Meldere. All.: Sabatelli.

Referees: Vita (Ancona), De Biase (Treviso) and Agnese (Naples).

Note: free throws: Venezia 12/17; Campobasso 11/20. Rebounds: Venezia 40 (Cubaj 10); Campobasso 38 (Gray 12). Assist: Venezia 9 (Dojkic 5); Campobasso 16 (Morrison 5). Score progression: 6-3 (5′), 17-15 (15′), 30-28 (25′), 42-47 (35′). Maximum advantage: Venezia 7 (24-17); Campobasso 7 (40-47).

Queen of away matches in the championship. In the sixth match away from the Arena, La Molisana Magnolia confirms the clear path of external exploits against a quintet that, up until now, in the championship had never left the scoresheet to their opponents at Taliercio.

Thus La Molisana Magnolia Campobasso conquers Venice, consolidates its third position in the rankings, moving to just two points behind the lagoon players second in the class which, among other things, also impacts the difference in goals and, above all, maintains a four-point margin over its pursuers Derthona and Geas.

The first quarter is characterized by great tension with the first ninety seconds without baskets. And, despite finding themselves trailing first by four points and then by seven, the rossoblù with Giacchetti and Trimboli brought themselves back to just one possession with Gray who put the #fioridappello up in the lagoon’s final outburst with five points to recover for the rossoblù in the 10th minute (15-10).

Trimboli’s triple and Gray’s basket allow the #steelflowers to impact the score at 15. Gray again scores the 17 all with the lagoon players trying to break away again, but it is Morrison’s triple that keeps the magnolias breathing down their opponents’ necks at the long interval (24-20).

The return from the Campobassane changing rooms has an absolute impact. Simon and Makurat give the Magnolias the third draw of the evening (at 24). The Luxembourg guard is the bulwark that doesn’t let the reyerines escape and, from the liberos, scores the 30 all. Madera, Miccoli, Makurat and Miccoli again make the #steelflowers fly up to two possessions full of margin (32-38), then it is Madera – with the clock stopped – who maintains the momentum for the 34-40 with which the period ends.

The lagoon players try to come back at the start of the final period, but Miccoli, with five consecutive points, gives the rossoblù the maximum advantage (38-45), which remains so even after Madera’s mid-range basket (40-47). The orogranatas try to come back, but, at that point, they enter the Gray zone with the rossoblù pivot (top scorer of the match at 13) which, from below, is surgical in keeping the Molise team with a full possession advantage in no fewer than three circumstances. Morrison’s free throws put the seal on the two points with the rossoblù coming close, with Morrison’s triple right at the siren, also overturning the difference in goals in the double challenge.

For coach Mimmo Sabatelli, at the end, there is strong satisfaction for what was the test of his team. «Coming here to Taliercio and holding a battleship like the Reyer to just fifty points is something truly significant. In particular – he argues – in the third and fourth periods the girls displayed an incredible match, which went beyond the poor percentages from three and free throws. My compliments go to the group because, even when Venezia tried to come back, they were clear and well present on the parquet, a truly relevant signal regarding our conduct.”

In a round with a more intricate match compared to the direct pursuers Derthona and Geas, among other things, the Magnolias maintained a four-point margin over the two competitors. «Both Geas and Derthona are giving rise to notable performances, but we were able to achieve a success that maintains the status quo even though we know that there are still many other battles ahead of us until March.”

However, the fact of the six successes obtained in as many away games remains. «A fact which, given the difficult races faced, makes us very proud and which, on the eve of the championship, I would not have predicted. Now we have to best channel this enthusiasm and all the awareness we have achieved, despite knowing that, in the Italian Cup, we will face the worst possible opponent, among other things on their pitch, but with the possibility of being able to give a few minutes to Laura (Meldere, ed.). There will still be a bit of a wait for Pastrello for her, but we will check step by step.”

The championship, for the Campobasso players, will only return on January 10th with the match starting at 6pm with the Piedmontese away game in Tortona on the Derthona pitch which six days earlier, on Sunday, will have already met – with a tap-off at 6.30pm – in one of the quarterfinals of the Final Eight of the Italian Cup. (photo Andrea Gilardi)