Serie A2 Old Wild West – Quarter-final playoff game 3
Rivierabanca Basket Rimini – Real Sebastiani Rieti 64-77 (15-15, 27-28, 49-54)
RIVIERABANCA: Tassinari, Marks 20, Anumba 8, Bonfè, Grande 10, Tomassini 2, Scarponi 5, Mari, J.Johnson 16, Simioni 3, Pellegrino, Abba. All.: Dell’Agnello.
REAL SEBASTIANI: Sanguinetti 2, Petrovic 2, Piccin 3, Hogue 7, Ancellotti 2, J.Johnson 28, Raucci 2, Poom, Italiano 10, Nobile 5, Spanghero 16. Coach: Rossi
It ends like this, in race 3. After a season that started off uphill and then turned into an exciting one. There Rivierabank Basket Rimini exits the playoffs 3-0 against Real Sebastiani Rieti. The only match played at Flaminio reads 64-77, with the guests who definitively got their hands on the match during the second half. The red and whites found themselves decimated by injuries: in addition to Masciadri out and Tassinari far from the top, Pilgrim has to deal with fever while Tomassini after the calf problem he suffers from an ankle problem which will no longer allow him to be included in the dispute. It’s time for an epilogue at Rbr, after a season that gave great and indelible emotions: because if the roster reached the playoffs with the petrol warning light on, no one will ever be able to forget the extraordinary comeback that allowed the coaching men Sandro Dell’Agnello to collect the sumptuous record of 13 victories in the last 15 matches between the regular season and the clock phase. The guests mothballed their passage to the semi-final during the second half, when Rbr suffered a physical decline. Top scorer and best scorer of the match Jazz Johnson, with 28 points scored and 66.7% shooting. Spanghero, he accompanies him with 16 personal points and 66.7% shooting from long range. For the Romagna people the top scorer is Derrick Marks (20 personal points and an overall 42% from the field). Justin Johnson and Grande, with 16 points for the first and 10 for the second, were not enough to allow Rimini to extend the series to game 4. To thank the 3,000 spectators present at the Flaminio, who encouraged the team from the beginning to end of the meeting.
Jazz Johnson in support of the scoreboard uncorks the match, Marks on the other side is not long in coming and responds immediately (6 personal points in the first 10′), but the American duo from Rieti immediately goes into full action, finding the first basket also from Hogue (4-4 at 3′). The attention of the players on the pitch on each other’s markings is such that we mainly see attacks composed of isolations after just a few slips of the ball: Anumba, triggered with his back to the basket, finds 4′ personal points, but the usual Jazz Johnson is astute to score with a floater from center of the penalty area being fouled, completing the 3-point play. Towards the bell of the first 10 minutes, Spanghero and Grande also get going, the former with a perfect stop and shot from a tight angle while the Rimini playmaker/guard with a rainbow that is both aesthetically beautiful but also concrete. On the last action Italiano closes the quarter by penetrating the rim, making it 15-15.
The second quarter opened with a 3-point shot by Grande, but Spanghero, still dynamic, immediately found his 4th personal point. The balance remains established and in every action the defensive substance of the teams on the pitch taints the offensive percentages. After a star-spangled start, the Italians on the pitch carved out a glimpse of supremacy in the central part of the second half: Ancellotti and Tomassini from the midfield, Italiano with a 2/2 on free throws, Scarponi with a triple in the corner replicated by Nobile , which triggers the first shot from behind 6.75 for Sebastiani. For Rivierabanca, it is worth mentioning the first 4′ personal points from Justin Johnson, who enters the match with a fade away and a lay up from under the boards. At halftime the score was 27-28.
After the break the teams return to the field with greater competitive spirit and offensive verve, the percentages improve and the score benefits. For Rivierabanca, Marks is the driving force, scoring 11 personal points in the third quarter alone, supported by Anumba, Simioni, Justin Johnson and Scarponi. For the Rieti players, the return to the field is sweeter and less burdened in terms of game fluidity and their shooters benefit from it: Piccin, Spanghero and Italiano score four important 3-point baskets, Jazz Johnson with his usual ball handling is constantly threatening , both individually and by creating opportunities for his teammates. The partial in the 30th minute scores a +5 for the guests, 49-54.
Jazz Johnson, beating his opponent in 1 vs 1, is the first to hit Rimini in the last half, but Marks, the last of his team to give up, tries to keep the Romagna players in their wake with a fade away in isolation. Sebastiani, however, demonstrates in this phase that she has more physical and mental energy, and with Spanghero from three first and with a three-point action from Jazz Johnson then, she makes a first attempt to gain an advantage (54-64 at 35′) . The first break from Rieti turns out to be the decisive one, the red and whites struggle to find solutions in attack capable of making a dent in the visiting defence. In this, the former player Jazz Johnson takes advantage again, increasing his score with two further triples, bringing Rieti to a safe distance. For Rimini the Americans and Grande are the last to give up and in the last quarter they control most of the balls in attack. The final from Flaminio is in favor of Rieti, which prevails 64-77 in the 40th minute.
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Photo: Nicola De Luigi
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