Victory and playoffs for Unahotels Reggio Emilia who beat GeVi Napoli 88-74 at the end of a match in which the offensive rebounds tipped the scales towards the red and white side.
GeVi ends the season without the playoff prize, prey to the backlash generated by the unexpected victory of the Italian Cup, but with a base from which to start again and the certainty of having largely achieved the objectives set at the beginning of the season.
The ending was completely different from the agony experienced last year in these times, when salvation seemed like a chimera.
On the shields is Mouhammed “Momo Faye”, unleashed with 24 points on the scoresheet, but in general the entire long department works, with Atkins (16) playing second fiddle and Black providing breathing space; Coach Priftis was also very good as he understood the Neapolitan strategy of sending the former Olympiacos player to the line and brought him back to the bench.
Unahotels can enjoy their energy, out of 42 caroms arriving in the opponent’s area, 20 end up in the hands of their players. There will be time for Jamar Smith to recover.
In Naples there remains a derby to win due to the rivalry with Scafati and to close a season that remains largely positive at 28 points. It’s a shame, however, given the defensive intensity shown for large stretches with excellent results, a level that would perhaps have been enough to win matches against opponents with a lower technical level than that of this Reggiana team.
THE NEWS
The start is all in the name of Momo Faye, determined to demonstrate why he declared himself eligible for the next NBA Draft, his 5-0 with which Unahotels inaugurates its last match on the home court.
Napoli took the blow and responded shortly after with Brown and Sokolowski to restore balance in the score (5-5).
Reggiana is still Faye, two more baskets for him, the only red and white scorer until 12-7 signed by Vitali who comes out of the blocks and scores a triple.
The external solution is abused by the guests with no results, Ennis takes care of it on the counterattack to unblock the Neapolitan attack, the equalizer is scored by Pullen in penetration, evading the attempted block by Atkins and Black (12-12).
The first guest triple means overtaking, performed by Sokolowski after yet another recovery that the competent defense wanted by Milicic had obtained on the passing lines; Reggio Emilia, in difficulty, relies on the experience of Tarik Black who plays with Lever and scores through pure stubbornness (14-15).
It’s the prelude to the counter-overtaking that comes with Sasha Grant’s run, in the 10th minute it’s 16-15 UnaHotels.
Not even having time to start before Lever incurs an unsportsmanlike foul, Uglietti scores both free throws but fails to finish the next possession in time, it is the third time in which Napoli has managed to let the opponent’s clock run out; not bad, a good defense is enough to propitiate the new partial with Weber worth 20-15.
Ennis is still keeping Naples in their wake, his triple makes it 22-20, Priftis dusts off Galloway from the bench and places Grant in defense to shield Ennis, the Cagliari native, however, is too energetic in trying to force the block, Owens pays the price Fortunately, he gets up shortly after.
And he does it well: he fakes the triple and then serves Zubcic who finds the heavy basket that brings GeVi back ahead (22-23), immediately after he responds to Atkins, finally scoring from the corner for 26-28.
Reggio’s reply comes again from Atkins, a triple from the counter-overtaking, and Uglietti, Grant’s stubbornness re-establishes the maximum advantage, Sokolowski shuts down the escape (33-30), but it is once again the former player on duty who scores, this time from the perimeter (36 -30).
Napoli maintains Reggio’s maximum effort, Pullen shortens with a layup, then closes the gap to 3 points with a triple from the dribble (38-35).
Among the Bianconeri it’s Atkins’ moment and his mid-range shot but GeVi resists and closes down by just two points with Sokolowski’s heavy basket right at the buzzer (40-38).
In the interval comes the ovation for one of the heroes of the Eurochallenge won by Reggiana, Rimantas Kaukenas, Galloway would like to reopen the games by giving him a triple of his own but he is effectively hindered and his attempt goes in vain.
Owens doesn’t go to waste as he wins the duel with Chillo and draws at 40; GeVi struggles to enter the area but, when they do so, they at least profit from fouls like Chillo’s third, in defense they are sprawling and only Black manages to get out of it, but when he sins in laziness in the return, Weber finds the basket of +4 (44 -40).
The inertia becomes red and white with Black’s basket giving back the maximum advantage, Milicic decides to stop the flow with the time out.
The blue and whites come off the bench with energy and shorten with Sokolowski, then soon give their opponents a bonus, also finding a pass to the line that Zubcic exploits halfway (46-43).
The flaw, however, is called bounce; the fourteenth offensive carom leads to Galloway’s first triple which is worth the first 3-possession lead of the match (50-43), Ennis shortens with the clock stopped.
Reggio Emilia regains the maximum advantage with Sasha Grant’s triple and takes it back with Atkins who capitalizes on yet another offensive rebound, Faye scores the 59-50, Napoli shakes up with Sokolowski who scores a spectacular 2+1.
Faye is opposed to Owens, loaded with 3 fouls, and takes advantage of his difficulties, Galloway’s counterattack is worth +10, it’s Unahotels’ moment, in the 30th minute it’s 63-53.
Yet another offensive capture is worth the +12 signed by Faye at the start of the final period, Napoli returns to a single-digit disadvantage with Pullen’s 3-point play but is punished by the mid-range basket of its former captain Uglietti (67-56), then Atkins scores from below +13 (69-56), Napoli resorts to a one-minute suspension.
The gap widens further with Faye (71-56), Napoli shoots from the perimeter and is also seen whistled against the technical foul sanctioned by a Brown who has been protesting to the referees for some time, Galloway scores the 72-56.
The Neapolitans have a jolt with Ennis, triple frontal, but suffer from Faye’s depth; Zubcic shortens again from the perimeter, the Canadian point guard again finds -9 (73-64).
But the guests are lost in a glass of water: the defense forgets Galloway, then Pullen loses a bloody ball, Sokolowski fights back but Faye is still alone and places the nail which earns him point number 21 (77-66).
The ruling comes with Galloway’s sidereal triple which is repeated shortly after, 83-70 and only a miracle would change the fate of the match.
The last to give up is Sokolowski but it’s the last minute and Tracy McGrady has long since stopped playing basketball.
It ends 88-74, a heavier deficit than what was seen on the pitch but the result of details that reward those who believed in them the most.
HERE are the match statistics
In the image Mohuamed Faye, photo Ciamillo-Castoria
Elio De Falco
 – by Elio De Falco){kind=link}