DOLOMITES ENERGY
80
EXTRA
105
DOLOMITI ENERGIA TRENTINO: Ellis 5, Hubb 14, Alviti 14, Conti, Forray 5, Cooke 3, Biligha 19, Mooney 10, Baldwin 10, Mahmadou ne. All. Galbiati.
ESTRA PISTOIA: Willis 19, Della Rosa 9, Moore 21, Metsla 2, Saccaggi 3, Del Chiaro 9, Varnado 15, Wheatle 6, Hawkins 7, Ogbeide 14. All. Brienza.
Referees: Sahin, Galasso, Marziali.
Partial scores: 20-24, 42-55, 68-76.
Notes: two-pointers Trento 26/47, Pistoia 26/43. Three-pointers Trento 6/27, Pistoia 13/20. Free throws Trento 10/16, Pistoia 14/19.
It took two slaps to see a breathtakingly beautiful Pistoia again. Estra smashes the Trento field, mathematically conquers the playoffs, draws the score in the direct clashes with L’Aquila, overturns the difference in goals and takes sixth place in the standings and, just to make sure nothing is missed, scores the victory number 100 in the club’s history in the top flight. It really couldn’t have gone better than this.
The news. A first half with a decidedly high adrenaline rush. Trento and Pistoia don’t waste time and start off strong straight away, especially L’Aquila, which immediately takes an initial lead of 6 points (11-5). From there begins a match made up of breaks and counter breaks, overtaking and recoveries. Estra breaks through with a partial score of 0-12 which brings them to +6 (11-17), Trento responds immediately with a counter break of 7-0 (from 13-19 to 20-19), Pistoia doesn’t accept it and he replies with the same coin (20-26). An initial outburst that seems destined to calm down when Estra takes control of the match in the second period. Pistoia, in addition to an attack that runs wonderfully, also manages to contain better in defence, above all it is good at taking away the first solutions from its opponents who are forced to invent something every time. The red and whites are in full control of the match with double-digit lead margins that allow them to manage operations and close the first two quarters up by 13 (42-55).
Pistoia feels they are in control of the match, they don’t look back and continue to grind out the game with aggression and determination. The third period is truly an all-out fight, Trento knows that it has the last chance to try to turn the match around and tries with all the strength at its disposal but Pistoia is definitely in the match both from a mental and gaming point of view and doesn’t even tremble when the opponents get back to within 6 (65-71) also because in an amen Estra puts things back in order. The last period is a test of strength for Pistoia who, with the Italian patrol, crushes Trento’s resistance to the point of reducing L’Aquila’s fort to rubble who slowly loses confidence and abandons the match. Della Rosa and his teammates don’t stop even in front of an opponent who has now raised the white flag and in the last five minutes spreads the score up to the final plus 25.
Maurizio Innocenti
