General Contractor, now or never. After two consecutive defeats in the first two away games, the semi-final series against Libertas Livorno debuts at PalaTriccoli for game 3 scheduled for tonight at 8.30 pm under the orders of referees Rizzi from Trissino (Vi) and Zancolò from Pordenone. You can’t go wrong: the series is in fact a best of five matches and with a new success the Tuscan team would enter the final, to be played against the winner of the other semi-final between Roseto and Ristopro Fabriano, here with the Abruzzo team ahead 2- 0.
A victory for the General Contractor, however, would postpone everything to game 4, which would be played again at the PalaTriccoli, on Sunday, at 6 pm. The possible fifth game would instead be back in the bedlam of the PalaMacchia in Livorno on Wednesday 29 May.
In the very hot Livorno facility, the General Contractor suffered in the first two games, losing after having always had to chase both in game 1 (69-60) and in game 2 (73-65), demonstrating that they were not in top condition as in the period the gold of the long series of consecutive victories.
Compared to game 2, Jesi will have to significantly increase his two-point shooting percentages, which were lacking in the last defeat (10/33, equal to 30%) and contain the opponent’s excessive physical power, already decisive in the first game, with Libertas having won largely on the rebound (41-33). Livorno, which finished in second place in group A, can count on a very long rotation at the disposal of coach Andreazza, who also rotates 10 elements but cannot give up the experience of the thirty-nine-year-old former Italian national Fantoni (9.2 points and 6.4 rebounds) , to the heavy baskets of Ricci (11 points on average), to the contribution from the bench of the thirty-five year old Saccaggi (7.2 points) and to the direction of Leon Williams, a point guard of Dutch nationality in his first year in Italy who played two editions of the European championships in 2015 and 2022. Tickets for tonight’s match can be purchased in advance online, while the box office will open at 6.30pm: help will also be needed from the Jesi public, who have become closer in the second part of the regular season, to extend the series.
Andrea Pongetti
