Lucca, 1 May 2024 – We are preparing for the third match of the playoff. Saturday 4 May at 9pm, at PalaRonchi Saronnoit will be decided who will be the challenger in the semifinal of the National basketball series B, among the winning teams of the series which includes Pavia And Virtus Siena.
Consequentially, Lucca he balanced the situation by dominating the second match, scoring almost 100 points when, only three days earlier, Saronno had limited BCL to a low offensive score, only 65 points in the first match. But that’s the beauty of playoffs.
The team led by the coach Olivieri This time he scores 27 points in the first quarter, keeping the game balanced until the 9th minute, then two triples from B factor, Burgalassi and Barsanti, increase the gap, bringing the first escape attempt to 27-18. He Romanò scores a 6.75-meter step-back at the beginning of the second quarter. The team in the blue uniform from Lombardy finds itself in a moment in which the shooting percentages are low, thus allowing the hosts not to worry too much about offensive rebounds and turnovers. Despite everything, the guests remain in the game, 30-24 at 13′, and with the three points from Pellegrini Negri and his teammates, they manage to reduce it further, reaching 30-27, with a 6-0 partial in favor of the Varese players.
Olivieri experiments with a quintet with four smaller players and only Simonetti in the role of pivot, but without a specific strategy, in fact he brings Trentin back together with Simonetti, flanked by the two big men. Tempestini strikes twice from far away, but the same response comes from Nasini, and the draw reaches 33, then 36 in the 15th minute. Lucca’s red and whites defend, the guests miss several shots but stay afloat with offensive rebounds. De Capitani returns to the field, signing the Varese advance, 39-40, and the balance continues until the interval, 45-43 in favor of the Luccas. The visiting coach Biffi, after a less effective first defensive quarter, adjusted the mechanisms and Saronno conceded only 18 points against 27 in the first quarter. They score 25 points and the match is practically equal. The favorite team, the franchise from the city famous for amaretto, is struggling after the easy victory of the first match. The competition is also intense in the second half of the game. Trentin scores 55-49 with 4 consecutive points from the low pivot position, to which Ugolini responds with 6.75. Pierini highlights his weight in the area and with a basket plus the error he overcame a small gap at 58-52 and then again 60-52 with Pierini in the 26th minute. Partial score of 9-3 for the hosts.
AZ Pneumatica is in crisis. In the 27th minute Barsanti was injured, the Lucca captain hurt his ankle and had to come off temporarily. Pierini, MVP, is fundamental when Lucca breaks the game with his mismatches. He does what he wants in the area, the Lombard defense is cut to pieces, 66-58 in the 29th minute. The maximum advantage reached with Tempestini who scored 3 points and brought the score to 69-60. Timeout called by coach Olivieri and in the 30th minute the scoreboard read 73-65, thanks to a penetration by Beretta. A high score for a tough and hard-fought playoff match. A coach is also assigned to the visiting bench, Negri and his teammates no longer score, Barsanti scores from far away and a “steal” by Lippi widens the gap to 79-65 and then Trentin scores 81-65, curiously the same score of the outward journey to Saronno. Barsanti returns and scores the game over triple, 84-65 in the 34th minute. The Lombards risk annihilation. Partial score of 14-0 for Lucca in the first quarter in the first 4 minutes.
The young Landucci, Brugioni and Lenci enter the field, a sign that the match is over. All that remains is to establish the final score during garbage time and with Saronno approaching the century mark. Everything will be decided in the third race on Saturday evening at 9pm in Saronno.
