saddle one hundred
80
benacquista latina
88
SADDLE: Mussini 31, Bruttini 9, Delfino 2, Palumbo 17, Bucciol, Toscano 4, Magni, Archie 12, Musso 3, Moreno 2, Ladurner. All. Mecacci.
BENACQUISTA LATINA: Mayfield 11, Amo, Parrillo 4, Romeo 19, Zangheri 3, Mladenov 2, Cicchetti 3, Rapetti, Moretti 11, Alipiev 32, Borra 3. All. Sacco.
Referees: Ursi, Cappello and Maschietto.
Notes: partial 20-20; 42-40; 65-65.
The Giro passes, but Benedetto remains stuck at the post. In the sprint, at the Baltur Arena, Latina prevails, repeating the success of March 30th and causing further disappointment to Sella, who couldn’t have started her adventure in poule-salvation worse. Match almost always balanced in the first 30 minutes, then Sella’s teams (this time without Mitchell) suddenly ran out of steam and Sacco’s team took over the scene, taking home two precious points to begin building the arduous task of maintaining the category. The first basket bears the signature of Alipiev (there will be 32 in the end, with 12 rebounds) to which a certainly not shy Archie responds with a double slingshot that is worth the immediate +6 (8-2). Cento’s offensive confidence is fueled by Palumbo and Mussini, who widen the gap (14-5), but who also once again unleash Alipiev’s scoring streak, evidently shaken by the excessive torpor of his teammates and good at initiating the team’s break Pontini, who in a couple of possessions rose again and scored at 17.
About thirty seconds from the gong, the overtaking also arrives, again with the Bulgarian winger, imitated in the other half of the pitch by captain Toscano, who scores the equalizer (20-20 at 10′). In the second quarter, Sella immediately absorbs the first mini-break of the Lazio team (20-24) and also tries to make matters worse, driven by Mussini’s baskets (31-26), but Romeo is not willing and keeps the theirs, despite Palumbo’s triple, was worth the new +5 (34-29).
At the end of the first half, Borra and Mayfield put the red and white defense to the test, while Mussini returned to successfully aim from the arc, putting Benedetto back ahead at the interval (42-40). Upon returning, Latina begins to get serious and reaches +9 with the usual Alipiev (53-62), but also in this case the guest’s advantage crumbles in a short time, hit by Archie, Palumbo and Moreno, with the latter who temporarily sets things straight on the siren (65 equal to the 30th minute).
It will remain one of the last signals sent by Sella, who already at the beginning of the last period begins to disappear from the radar of the match: the 9-0 clear partial sends Toscano and his partners into trouble, prematurely putting an end to the match (65-74). Cento chases and goes back up to -3, with a stoic Mussini (76-79 at 38′), before succumbing again after a bomb from Parrillo, which ends the game early. Curtain on Baltur Arena, after a sad final: 80-88.
Giovanni Poggi
